The picture today is of the tourists by the second most photographed building in New Zealand after Dunedin railway station. Well thart is what the guide said.
What an interesting day in Napier, a city entirely focussed around the happenings of 3 Feb 1931 when a major earthquake hit the town. The scenes of devastation are just as if a major bomb had been dropped on the town. The town has been re-built in the art deco style, mainly because it was the cheapest way to build. This afternoon we have been on a bus tour of all the sites, it was just the two of us because of a mix-up, but was all the better for that.
The most amazing fact was that the earthquake raised land by several metres thus reclaiming major areas that were previously underwater. You can see the line of the former cliffs some 2 miles inland. The buildings are great and there is obviously now a high awareness of what a gem of a city they have here and all efforts are being made to retain the ambience. In fact our guide today said they were working towards a bid for World Heritage status, although she felt that might be a little too ambitious. Tonight we plan to go to a café on the beach next to the port. It’s a beautiful evening and a plate of seafood on an outdoor terrace seems in order!
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