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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 art deco buildings, New Zealand
The Daily Telegraph building is a classic example of the Art Deco architecture and design found throughout Napier. It was completed in 1933.
Art deco bronze figures in Napier New Zealand
I instantly fell in love with these Art Deco bronze figures on the main street in town. She stands prominently on Emerson street, while he is a bit less noticeable, hanging onto a street lamp across the street and waving back.

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

Napier Art Deco Buildings

Criterion Hotel a Napier art deco hotel in New Zealand
Criterion Hotel is Spanish mission style with cordoba tiles, arched windows, symmetry, ziggurats, and false balconies.
Bowman Building with reinforced concrete covered in brick designed by Louie Hay in Napier New Zealand
Bowman building is one of the many designed by Louie Hay with reinforced concrete covered in brick.
This design won awards for its ziggurat and lines.
An example of classical revival built in 1921 and repaired after the Napier earthquake in New Zealand
An example of classical revival (with Art Deco columns) built in 1921 and repaired after the quake.
T&G building seen during the Art Deco Tour, Napier New Zealand
T&G building (now A&B) is an example of stripped classical style.

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).

Art Deco Features seen in Napier New Zealand
Details from a few of the Napier Art Deco buildings and streets highlight some of the Art Deco features including ziggurats, chevrons, sunbursts, fans, speed lines, optimism and colours, and Maori motifs.

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).

See more in these Art Deco books 

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.

ASB Bank's Maori motif in Napier New Zealand
The ASB bank building’s ceiling is a fabulous example of Maori Motif used in Art Deco architecture.
Example of stripped classic Art Deco architecture with Maori motifs in Napier New Zealand
Briasco’s building, rebuilt after a 1978 fire, is in stripped classic and Art Deco architecture style with Maori motifs.

Napier Art Deco Buildings: A Closer Look at Some of the Features

Central Hotel seen on the art deco walking tour in Napier New Zealand
Central Hotel – classic Art Deco elements
Hawke's Bay Museum original entrance with art deco arch in Napier New Zealand
The original entrance to the Hawke’s Bay Museum
Inside the Napier Municipal Theatre in New Zealand
The Art Deco walking tour took us inside the Municipal Theatre where we found classic Art Deco carpet, lighting, seating, and designs.
Ingo in Napier New Zealand
Blooms Jewellery’s entrance is an example of an “ingo” with leadlight and terrazzo features.
Beautiful art deco front doors at the Masonic Hotel in Napier New Zealand
Leadlight and chevron designs are prominent on these Art Deco doors at the Masonic Hotel.

Art Deco Art Nouveau

Art nouveau building in Napier New Zealand
Mixed amongst the Napier Art Deco, the Australian Mutual Provident building is in Art Nouveau style as evident in the details.

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

Hurst Building seen on the Napier art deco tour in New Zealand
Hurst’s building had been built to be safe with reinforced concrete, but after the quake, only the outside was still intact.
  • 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

If you enjoyed this photographic Art Deco tour, please share it on social media and share this pin on Pinterest:Napier New Zealand is the Art Deco Capital of the World

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.

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Comments

  1. 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… #TheWeeklyPostcard

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  6. 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. Thanks for sharing on #farawayfiles

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  7. 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.

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  8. 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!

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  9. 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. #farawayfiles

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  10. 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.

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  13. 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.

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  14. 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!

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  15. 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.

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  16. 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!

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  19. 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!

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  21. 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!

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  22. 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.

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  23. 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!

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  24. 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.

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    • 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.

      Reply

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