Napier Wit

Napier has been described as the city with “two souls” because, in a way, it is two cities. The first Napier was a quaint seaside Victorian town that was destroyed on February 3, 1931 when a massive earthquake (7.8 on the old scale) and subsequent fire razed the town. The city lay in absolute ruins. The people decided not to reconstruct their beloved town as it had been but to redesign a stronger and more modern city that would rise like a phoenix from the ash of old. The second Napier was completed just two years after the quake. The resurrected city enthusiastically embraces art deco and downtown unfolds before you beautifully symbolic, geometric and bold.
It's a little too yuppie for my taste but almost redeems itself with its quirky cafes and independently owned art galleries. After we filled our eyes and minds with art we headed over to the museum to learn about the town's history, we visited NZ's National Aquarium and watched a very flirty diver feed the sharks and stingrays, we sampled some decadent chocolate at the local factory, strolled through the dilapidated old cemetery, walked through the town's multi-tiered botanic gardens, took a “scary” night tour through the old prison (the one part I didn't like was being locked alone in a cold and pitch black cell) and finally kicked our feet up at the beach-side hot pools. A delicious winter day in a charming anachronistic city.