We really struck it lucky to arrive here in Napier when we did! We just worked our travel itinerary into a schedule that worked within our time frame and we accidentally arrived here at the height of the Art Deco Festival. It’s a wonderful event.
Today, we sauntered back to the city from our motel and found a parking spot close to all the action. The streets were crowded with people, most of whom were dressed in 1930s style costumes for the day.
Our day began by watching some vintage aircraft performing over the main city area. I think they were Harvards – a WW2 training aircraft.
In a walk around town we found many of the buildings that were built in 1932 to replace those destroyed in a significant earthqake. Here’s a selection of some of them – all featuring some form of Art Deco design.
The main event of the day was a procession of old cars along the Main Street. They all looked superb and well cared for. Apparently, owners bring them here for this occasion, not only from all parts of New Zealand, but also from around the world. There were probably one hundred cars in total and I photographed a selection of them.
The passengers were fitted out in 1930s costumes and these ladies caught my eye.
It was actually as much fun photographing the people in the street as it was taking photos of the cars.
We really enjoyed Napier when we were there on a cruise. They greeted the cruise ship with people dressed up and cars on display. You were so lucky to be there for the festival. Enjoy