Napier and beyond

Our previous post left us in Napier - a seaside resort on the Pacific east coast of NZ. 

We decided to spend some time looking round the town - well, I should refer to it as a city really, as we discovered that it has a cathedral.  

We learned more about the earthquake that destroyed the city in 1931.  In the few seconds of that earthquake the centre of Napier was lifted by 2 metres (and continues to rise by a centimetre every year).

Many buildings, especially those that were brick built, were destroyed straight away by the earthquake. This included the former cathedral which simply collapsed. Those that were not immediately destroyed were burned in a fire that raged through the ruined city. 

But people refused to be defeated and set about rebuilding the city as fast as they could. Interim structures in timber or corrugated steel were quickly erected. Shops and businesses in the central area set about rebuilding. 

So unlike most towns or cities, the majority of buildings in the centre were constructed at one time and in a particular style - Art Deco - which was current at that time. 

And most of that heritage has been preserved, giving the centre a character that is unique, probably anywhere in the world. Only Miami has a similar concentration of Art Deco architecture. 

Not only are the buildings interesting, but the city centre, though quite small, has a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere with lots of interesting shops and cafes. 

The reconstruction of the cathedral was interrupted by the second world war and so it was not completed until the 1960s.  Fragments of glass from the original building have been incorporated into a new stained glass window. It is a beautiful building with great purity and simplicity - and a sense of peacefulness.

We liked Napier, perhaps a little unexpectedly. 

We journeyed on to Tirau, chosen mainly because it is about half way between Napier and Coromandel, which is to be our final destination in NZ.

Tirau is a quirky town that seems to have no particular reason to exist apart from the fact that travellers stop for food and drink, or to break their journey. It has the oddest collection of shops, including a quilt making shop, a clock shop and a Christmas heirloom business. 

The theme of the town is corrugated steel and the tourist info centre is in the form of a dog and a sheep constructed in corrugated material. 

Very odd to our eyes.