Napier and Gisborne
On February 3rd 1931 the Hawke Bay region of New Zealand was devastated by an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale. Buildings collapsed into piles of rubble, the area was pushed an extra 2 metres above sea level and of course, many died. Over the following months and years the port town of Napier was rebuilt largely in what was then the contemporary style, a style that came to be known as Art Deco. Today Napier is the most significant concentration of Art Deco buildings in the Southern Hemisphere and is thus known as the ‘Art Deco City’.
Some of New Zealand’s most renowned wines, including Church Road and CJ Pask are produced around Hawke Bay and in the region stretching up to the city of Gisborne, home of the ubiquitous Lindauer range. Gisborne, it is said, is the most easterly city in the world; although the world is round Gisborne is the closest city to the international date line – if you look out to the Pacific, somewhere in the distance it’s still technically yesterday. That’s why they say that Gisborne is the first city to see the sun rise on a new day, and why the town is self-dubbed ‘City of The Sun’.
Nothing could be more ironic for me however as Gisborne has been the coldest, wettest place I’ve yet experienced in New Zealand. The Pacific wind seems to have a nasty bite to it at this time of year. Still, the weather is supposed to improve tomorrow when I’m hoping to head up to the remote East Cape, which is possibly more genuinely “lands’ end” than anywhere else.
Photos aplenty are in the camera waiting for the usual upload opportunity.
