Napier Travel Guide
Napier accommodation, Napier activities and attractions, Napier maps, transportation to and around Napier - the ALL NEW Jasons Napier Destination Travel Guide is your complete visitor guide for Napier.
The relaxed sunny coastal city of Napier is a favourite with holidaymakers who come to enjoy its great cafés, fine wineries and unique deco architecture.
Napier as it appears today was literally shaped by the huge 1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake. In two and a half minutes on Tuesday 3 February, 1931, the quake almost totally levelled the city's buildings. It raised a large area of land by 2.5m, creating an extra 4000 hectares, and making an island part of the town. 258 people died in the quake.
Napier was rebuilt in the art deco and Spanish mission styles of the day, and along with its sister city of
Hastings, now contains some of the world's best examples of deco buildings. You can discover some of the city's deco gems on the
daily heritage walks which leave from the Napier Visitor Centre, or join the locals on scenic Marine Parade for a seaside stroll.
If you're visiting in February, be sure to book well in advance. The annual Napier Art Deco Weekend is hugely popular. Live jazz and vintage cars fill the streets, festival-goers don glamorous flapper outfits and there are a host of themed thirties events, including costume balls and the Great Gadsby Picnic.
If you enjoy wine and food, you'll find yourself well catered for in Napier.
Hawke's Bay's sunny Mediterranean climate has guaranteed it a place among the country's leading wine-making regions, and many of the award-winning vineyards can be visited from Napier's city centre. Join one of Napier's wine trail tours or hire a cycle and visit the wineries under pedal power.
Grapes have been grown for wine in the area since the 1850s, and the oldest winery of all,
Mission Estate, holds an annual outdoor concert, also in February. Previous guests have included Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, the Beach Boys and Ray Charles.
If you fancy some outdoor adventure, you can take your pick from fishing, kayaking, windsurfing, jetboating, parasailing and skydiving.
Napier has a number of
campgrounds and holiday parks catering to the needs of travellers enjoying a New Zealand camping holiday. Whether you're looking for a campsite to pitch your tent; a cabin; or a caravan park for your campervan / RV you'll find the widest choice here.
Order your free
Jasons Central and Eastern North Island RoutePlanner now.
Geographic Location
Built along the shoreline of Hawke's Bay between the mouths of the Tutaekuri & Esk Rivers
Population
55,000
Climate
Napier has a Mediterranean climate, with a summer average temperature of 24°C, and winter average temperature of 13°C. Rainfall averages 780mm/year.