Art Deco Weekend 2015

One could have thought they had travelled back in time to the 1930s here in Napier these last few days.  The population also swelled as people celebrated and remembered the 1931 earthquake and the rebuild of our city.  There was over 200 events and the city was busy busy busy.  I myself only experienced a small portion as I had to work today (Sunday).  What I will post is what I saw on Saturday.  I will post my photos as a series that will be posted over the next few days.  I took a HEAP of photos :)

To start with I watched a stage show.  I have always loved stage shows.  My parents took my sister and I to some as a child and my love started then.   This show was put on from students at the Born to Move Dance studio and show cased musicals and movies from the 1920s and 30s.

Today in History

Eighty four years ago today, the 3rd February 1931 at 10.46am  a 7.8 magnitude stuck Napier.  It lasted two and a half minutes.  There would be 525 after shocks in the following fortnight.  258 people died in the Hawkes Bay.  Hospitals, railways, gas lines, roads and buildings were destroyed.  The land area was pushed up out of the sea.  A royal navy boat the HMS Veronica came to the rescue.  The years following saw the rebuilt of Napier.  These days Napier is the Art Deco Capital of New Zealand. 

 
photos from  Percy Caz Sorrell

Best fish and chip shop in Napier in my opinion

 Generous serve sizes and fast too!!  Im not being paid to advertise this I just have liked this shop for a while now and its recently got a facelift too :)

Continental Fish Supplies

1. 474 Hastings Street, Napier

One of Napiers Newest Pieces of Street Art

 At the fairly new intercity bus station, on the toilet block, is a sight that visitors that arrive in Napier via the bus will see before anything else.  It comprises of a group of notable Napier people in art deco clothing.  Two of these people I know personally they are parents of a Kea scout I use to be the leader of (he is now a cub scout along with my youngest son).

Bertie (Napiers ambassador)

the shadow isnt actually part of the mural its a real shadow off a tree I like it though 

The couple I know personally :)  

art deco lady in front of the Rothams building 

New Years Eve and Happy 2015 to you :)

Every year there is a free concert at the Soundshell on New Year's Eve.  I hadnt been for years.  Ill be going again next year it was a fab night.  

We were entertained for 3 and half hours by 3 New Zealand born singers (2 of whom Id never heard of before although they have been singers for years and seem to be well known and Tina Cross ONZM.  Tina Cross is very well known and has been in the music business most of my life. )

At the end of the evening and the start of 2015 there was a MASSIVE fireworks display

The Veronica Bell that was hung just before midnight 

Although my photo is not at all good I LOVE flashmobs and this is the first one I have ever seen in person.  These people did a Maori flashmob whats more :)  They are performing the Haka and did so just before they turned the lights on to signify the end of the evening.  

Nelson Park School revisited

Although my children dont go to this school I have always found it very picturesque.

school logo on one of the buildings 

 

mural on a pat a tennis wall

 some photos I found of the Centenary Celebration 

 

I have always liked their outdoor areas

 All the classrooms have their room number written on them in both English and Maori.  I took a photo of just 3 of them.  I quite like the reflections in them too.  Ruma means room the next word is the name of the number in Maori eg:- Tahi is one.  

a nice place to eat lunch under the Pohutukawa tree 

Nelson Park

I have had internet problems.  Unfortunately my tech savvy son is away on holiday otherwise the post I promised on Saturday would have been up yesterday, sorry folks.  Without further a do here is Nelson Park which is right behind Nelson Park School.   

Jull Road gates 

Nelson Park is mostly used as cricket grounds.  It has seven grassed cricket blocks which are used for both international (the first one ever was played in 1921 between Hawkes Bay and Australia) and games held between different cities in New Zealand (the first one ever was played in 1920 between Hawkes Bay and Wellington).  It is also used for some of our local school cricket teams.

On the fringes of the park there is also a tennis club with 6 courts and a clubhouse, a petanque club and a club house for a drones and sticks band.

 

Morris Road gates

these gates were built 8 years after the gates at the other end of the park

They were gifted by the family of Thomas Harvey in remembrance of him.  He had been a police officer at Napier Port in the 1880s.  He retired in 1901 and died a year and a half later.  

Nelson Park School use it as a play area.  To take this photo I stood inside the school beside the library.  he children are allowed to go though the gates and play  there at lunchtime with teacher supervision.