It doesn’t take long to appreciate why Napier New Zealand is the Art Deco Capital of the World. Simply taking a walk down the main road, we found ourselves surrounded by fun and funky examples of Art Deco. There are 140 Art Deco buildings, doors, sculptures, and more in this town.
Napier is one of a few world cities that was given a chance to reinvent itself. A devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed the city in 1931. As New Zealand does, it turned this disaster into an opportunity. With so many people unemployed during the depression era, the rebuilding of Napier attracted skilled and talented workers from around New Zealand.
The result: Napier is an Art Deco city brought alive for us through an Art Deco Walking tour with Napier’s Art Deco Trust. In just 2 hours we learned about various Art Deco elements and Napier history. We walked past classic examples while our passionate volunteer guide highlighted the nuances and finer details. The tour is our top recommendation, a must do for any visitor, and the highlight of our time in Napier. We visited Napier as part of a New Zealand North Island Auckland to Wellington driving tour.
Napier Art Deco Tour Options
| TOUR | HIGHLIGHTS | DURATION |
| Guided Afternoon Napier Art Deco Walk | Walk the Napier Art Deco district Earthquake history and Art Deco revival Access to the interiors of some buildings Video about the history of Napier | 2.5 hrs |
| Private Napier Art Deco Guided Walks | Customized Art Deco walking tour History of Napier area Interiors of Napier Art Deco buildings Insight to the Art Deco era style | 1 to 2 hrs |
| Vintage Car Napier Art Deco Tours | Short Napier Art Deco / history film Explore Napier in 1930’s vintage car See Art Deco quarter and suburbs Photo stops at Napier Art Deco landmarks | 1.25 hrs |
| Napier Art Deco Tours by Minivan | Morning or afternoon departure See and learn about Art Deco landmarks Explore Marewa and Ahuriri areas of Napier | 2.5 hrs |
| Vintage Car Tour and Classic Car Museum | Car tour of architecture and waterfront Personal tour of classic car showroom Vintage cars and racing memorabilia | 2 hrs |
Napier Art Deco Buildings
Art Deco Patterns and Features
The 1920-30s were an age of change with new technology and materials. A faster-paced modern lifestyle included the availability of travel and a new freedom for women. From the Napier Art Deco trust, “Art Deco expressed all the vigour and optimism of the roaring twenties and the idealism and escapism of the grim thirties.”
Art Deco’s worldwide popularity was born in Paris in 1925 at the great Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts).
Once you know what to look for, Art Deco decor is easy to identify. The style radiates optimism, speed, the dawn of a modern age, and a bit of breaking the rules. There are several Art Deco geometric patterns and other shapes that define the era. Primary Art Deco colours are bold, bright, or metallic, yet they often include combinations like black and white; creams, taupes and medium browns; silver, gold, blue, and charcoal grey; or, dandelion yellow, forest green, peacock blue, royal purple, and cherry red. Key Art Deco detail to look for in the architecture include:
- Ziggurat
- Chevron
- Trapezoids and other geometric shapes
- Sunbursts
- Sweeping curves including fans and fountain shapes
- Long vertical lines – symbolise skyscrapers
- Horizontal “speed” lines – Symbols of speed, power and flight
- Ancient cultures (mostly civilisations of Egypt and Central America).
Napier Art Deco Buildings with Maori Motif
The integration of Maori motifs with the Art Deco features gives Napier Art Deco a distinctive flavour found nowhere else. It is uniquely New Zealand. Much of this design is the work of local architect Louis Hay.
Napier Art Deco Buildings: A Closer Look at Some of the Features
Art Deco Art Nouveau
Tremains Art Deco Weekend
Like a scene from Back to the Future, Napier’s Art Deco district steps back in time for one weekend each February. It’s a Napier Art Deco festival that attracts over 40,000 people over four days. (In comparison, the town’s population is 57,000.) Visitors and residents don Art Deco costumes all weekend long and enjoy events like vintage car parades, Art Deco fashion shows, outdoor concerts, and Great-Gatsby-themed picnics and dances. If you are thinking about heading to this Napier art deco weekend, you might want to book your hotel now.
Practical Information on Visiting Art Deco Buildings in Napier
- There are 140 Art Deco buildings in Napier. If you are in a hurry and want to see some of the best examples, head to the centre of town and walk along Emerson, Tennyson, and Hastings Streets.
- Many of the building interiors are not open to the public without a tour.
- If you want to know more, visit the Art Deco Trust’s official website.
- If you are interested in the finer details of any of the buildings featured here, download the Napier Architecture Reference page.
- Bring a camera. I shoot with an Olympus OMD em5.
Please Share About the Napier Art Deco Walk
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More on Napier New Zealand
Which is your favourite of the Art Deco buildings in Napier?
Disclaimer: As media guests of the Art Deco Trust we were provided with complimentary walking tours to assist in the writing of this review. The opinions expressed here are strictly our own.
Keri
Wish I’d done a tour like this during my visit. Had a very short stop in Napier, but loved it – sadly it rained most of our stay, so we didn’t get to explore as much as we’d have liked…
Clare
I do love Art Deco architecture, Rhonda, so I’d really like to visit Napier. It’s very useful to read your guide to some of the key features to spot too. Thanks for sharing this gem.
Indah Nuria
All those details! I love art deco and the colors, shapes and ambience is fun! We had similar tour in Miami back in 2016
Esther
Oh my! I am such a big fan of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, I’d absolutely LOVE to see all this. What a great post.
Lyn aka The Travelling Lindfields
I have been to Napier twice and loved it both times. Our most recent visit coincided with the Tremains Festival. it was loads of fun seeing the town dress up in Art Deco style for the occasion.
Katy
Who doesn’t love art deco architecture. So wonderful that it has been so well preserved and celebrated in Napier. I’d love to visit during the Art Deco weekend – how fabulous to see everyone dressed up in 20s gear.
Anda
I love both Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture. The first is more decorative, but the second is sleeker and more modern. These Art Deco buildings in Napier are really beautiful. We have some great Art Deco buildings in Los Angeles too.
Sharon Odegaard
I love Art Deco buildings! I remember seeing beautiful ones in Chicago and Minneapolis (not period Art Deco but contemporary buildings built in that style). What a treat! The bronze figures are so fun, too!
Janis
I love Art Deco architecture, It’s incredible how much there is in one town
One day I’ll make it to New Zealand and Napier will be on my must see list.
Rhonda Albom
The earthquake provided a clean slate, allowing the town to rebuild. Art Deco was the fashion of the time.
RICCI - WHEN IN MY JOURNEYS
The attention to detail and elaborate designs on the buildings are just amazing. It is always nice to know the story behind every place that we visit, we tend to appreciate it more rather than just passing through and taking pictures.
Rhonda Albom
I agree completely. History and a bit of pre-knowledge on a place really make a difference.
Paul
Some fascinating architecture there and some really interesting details. Great post.
Rhonda Albom
I don’t think we would have noticed the details without the tour.
Sydney Sees the World
I love art deco architecture! If I ever happen to be in Napier, I’ll have to check out one of these tours. Thanks for sharing!
Rhonda Albom
Yes, I encourage you to take a tour, it brings it all alive.
Ketki
I love a city/town inspired by art. The bronze figures, architecture and even the manhole structures look so good. Would love to walk around this place and soak in the beauty.
Rhonda Albom
The Art Deco theme is carried out everywhere in Napier.
Sara
Wow, it looks like you’re taking a step back in time with all the architecture looking similar in Napier!! Beautiful pictures. I love the bronze statues too! You’ve provided a great list of tours, too! I love tours when I first visit a city! I think it’s the best way to get a sense of a place and figure out how to spend the rest of your visit!
Rhonda Albom
The Art Deco walking tour we took really made a difference in understanding the Art Deco style, but more so in pointing out the nuances in each design.
Jill
I love Art Deco and Napier looks like it has some great examples. If you’re ever back in the States, and near Asheville, give their self-guided Art Deco tour a try – or take a tour. They have alot of examples also.
Rhonda Albom
Cool. I love Art Deco, and have never been to North Carolina.
Katherine
What an awesome place! I never even knew this existed in New Zealand (just another reason to put it on the travel list!). I always watch the Art Deco episodes of Grand Designs so jealously, there’s something about the style of achitecture that makes me want to travel back in time to the 20s!
Rhonda Albom
There is something “happy” about the colours and shapes, I think that is the appeal.
L. Diane Wolfe
It’s as if you’re touring a studio lot. But they are real.
italiafinlandia
I like Art Deco and your post is very interesting!
Mohana Das
The city looks amazing! I’m into walking tours that specialise in the architecture of a city, so I’ll definitely check this out if I can ever visit Napier. I love the bronze figures, esp. the boy on the street lamp!
Rhonda Albom
Napier is a city designed for walking, and the art deco tour really brought it alive.
Handmade Jewelry Haven
Beautiful commentary on Art Deco Architecture!
Thank you for sharing!
– Lisa
Rhonda Albom
Glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully, you will get a chance to see it for yourself someday.
Ambuj Saxena
After reading this blog on Art Deco, i checked out your profile and expected you to be a master at Architecture. To my surprise, you are not! That means you have researched a lot on all the buildings and have come out with a very well researched and a sort of case study on Art deco in Napier! I am extremely grateful to you for taking the pain and explaining the concept like a class teacher would! I loved reading the post though i couldn’t understand too much!
Rhonda Albom
Yes, a bit of research and also paying attention during the tour.
Deeptha
Looking at all the photos, it felt like I had gone back in time. The town has a lovely old world charm which I like. Of all the captures, I liked the pair of bronze figures – the lady with the dog and the boy waving back to her. Very nicely done. I also liked the entrance to Blooms Jewellery; the terrazo tile work is beautiful.
Rhonda Albom
LOL – Walking down the street feels like we had gone back in time.
Candy
It’s so cool to see all the history behind the buildings and the amazing artistry. I really like the Art Deco bronze figures, especially the one of the little boy. So cute!
Rhonda Albom
I agree. The history and interesting stories make the walking tour so great. I only touched on them here, there is so much more we learned about.
Lisa
That Maori motif in the building design is so unique and striking too. I’ve not yet been to New Zealand, or heard of Napier, so I really enjoyed reading this. Art Deco is always a pleasure to see, and clearly Napier has many stunning examples on show.
Rhonda Albom
It is that Maori motif found in many of the buildings that makes New Zealand’s art deco unique.
Hilary
Hi Rhonda – it’s definitely a place I’ll visit should I ever get to NZ … love the whole look of Napier – cheers Hilary
Rhonda Albom
I love the look of it too. There is an attractive quirkiness to the town. You can read more about the town here.
Paul Pietrangelo
I loved the characters at the beginning the piece. They look real even though they are Art Deco bronze figures. See ya Rhonda.
Cruisin Paul
Rhonda Albom
The woman with the dog brought a smile to me. At first, I thought she was just waving at the people on the street and I wanted to wave back. It wasn’t until the tour guide pointed out the boy that I noticed him.
Comedy Plus
I like the hotel best and I love the bronze lady with the dog. Awesome.
What a fun and informative post.
Have a fabulous day, Rhonda. ♥
Rhonda Albom
Yes, I knew you would like the dog. 🙂 And, I am glad you found it all useful.
Alex J. Cavanaugh
Felt like I was stepping back in time viewing those photos. I would definitely take the walking tour just so I had time to see everything.
Rhonda Albom
That’s how it feels walking down the streets, like entering a time warp. I would love to go for the Art Deco weekend one year.
stevebethere
Love the art deco those figures made me smile, I particularly like Criterion Hotel
Have a artdecotastic week Rhonda 🙂
Rhonda Albom
LOL – I already had my artdecotastic week when I was there 🙂