In and around Hawke's Bay: Hastings

Located 20km south of Napier is the town of Hastings, which is the commercial hub of Hawke's Bay. The district has a long history as a food producing region and it and is commonly referred to as the "Fruit Bowl of New Zealand", in particular for its strong associations with growing stone fruits and wine production.

Although it's the bigger brother to Napier, Hastings also shares a rich architectural heritage as much of it was also devastated by the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. Whilst it didn't sustain quite the same level of devastation inflicted on its twin city, Hastings was also rebuilt to reflect the styles of the times - Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission and Art Deco. Where Art Deco is king in Napier, Spanish Mission has the upper hand in Hastings. In particular, the Westerman's Building (1932) is considered one of the best Spanish Mission style buildings in Hawke's Bay, rivalling that of the Criterion Hotel.

The magnificent Westerman's Building is home to the visitor centre

Decorative leadlights under the verandah

Picking up a couple of leaflets from i-SITE we decided to do some self-guided walks to explore the Central Business District. The most obvious building to begin with is the Clock Tower (1935), which towers over the city square. Art Deco in style, the tower was designed by young local architect Sydney Chaplin, who won a national design competition in 1934. The main Post Office with its clock tower was one of the main buildings to be destroyed  in the 1931 earthquake, so as part of the reconstruction efforts, a new clock tower was identified as one of the priorities. The Clock Tower is one of many buildings in Hastings registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust and serves as both a landmark and as a memorial to the 93 Hastings's residents who died in the earthquake.

On the edge of the city square is the Haukanui water feature, which is described as a point which serves as a link between the east and west ends of Hastings. Haukanui means "life giving waters" and apparently the feature symbolises the abundant natural water resource of the local aquifer system. However, I can't say that I've been to too many places where freight trains run through the middle of a fountain!

A picture of calmness and serenity at the Hastings city square...

... is shattered by a filthy, great big freight train

Walking west of the railway line we walked past some notable buildings including the Heretauga Club (1936), Medical and Dental Chambers (1935), Villa d' Este (1929) and Roach's Department Store (1934), among other buildings of interest.

The initials of the Heretauga Club can be seen on the exterior

The streamline Medical and Dental Chambers has curved walls projecting from the façade at each end

The most distinctive feature is the triangle-shaped window projecting  above the entrance

Villa d'Este on Heretaunga Street

The former Roach's Department Store

The Russell Street precinct has some of the most stunning Spanish Mission style buildings in Hastings, such as the CML (1939), Harvey's (1933) and Fitzpatrick's (1924) buildings. The CML Building was the last significant pre-World War II heritage building constructed in Hastings.

The Colonial Mutual Life (CML) Assurance Building is an eclectic mix of Art Deco, Spanish Mission and Stripped Classical styles

Decorative motifs of Maori origin are an unusual feature in the archway

The Harvey's Building is currently home to the Hastings Community Art Centre and inside there is an impressive leadlight skylight which fills the gallery with natural light.

The Spanish Mission Harvey's Building on Russell Street

The impressive leadlight design above the main gallery

Green Celtic knots can be seen in the design on the pilasters of the Fitzpatrick's Building

The Hastings Post Office was originally built in 1910 and extended in 1928. However, only the extension survived the earthquake. This was incorporated in a new Stripped Classical building designed by J.T. Muir who also designed the Former Government Buildings in Napier.

The former Hastings Post Office is one of the best known and historically important buildings in Hastings

The Stripped Classical design has subtle ionic decoration

The Former Government Buildings in Napier

The cream of crop of Hastings' heritage buildings is the Hastings Municipal Theatre (1915) which forms part of the Hawke's Bay Opera House. This was the first Spanish Mission building façade to be completed in Hastings. While the building survived the earthquake, extensive repairs and strengthening were required. Adjoining the Municipal Theatre is the Muncipal Building and Assembly Hall (1917). The building was designed by local architect Albert Garnett who won a design competition, which neighbouring Napier architects banned from entering. He drew on an eclectic blend of visual styles to design a Renaissance-style building for the Hastings Borough Council's administration staff.

The Municipal Theatre is one of the last remaining theatres in New Zealand built by the eminent Australasian theatre designer Henry Eli White

The leadlight glass at the Hastings St side entrance is Art Nouveau in style

In 2004, the District Council commissioned the restoration of these two heritage buildings and a new third building comprising of a foyer and plaza linking the Opera House to the existing historical buildings.

The Municipal Buildings also house Hawke's Bay's largest ballroom as part of the Opera House complex

Opposite the Opera House is the Wesley Methodist Church (1932) which completes this iconic part of Hastings. This Spanish Mission style church was designed to replace the original, which was destroyed by the 1931 earthquake. The redeveloped site contains stone seats and a low perimeter stone wall, which are constructed from the concrete rubble recovered from the original Methodist church.

Wesley Methodist Church is set across the road from the Opera House

The outside of the church has been painted in colours to complement the Opera House

Finally, the Dominion Restaurant (1935) on Heretaunga Street is the only remaining asymmetrical shop front design in Hastings. Although Hastings was predominately rebuilt in the Spanish Mission style architecture, this is most definitely Art Deco!

The Dominion Restaurant was designed by the prominent the architecture practice Edmund Anscombe and Associates.

Although, we enjoyed doing our own tour round Hastings it definitely felt more rough around the edges than Napier, especially with all the boy racers. I would recommend it as good day trip if you're looking for some more unique architecture. Hastings was less than an hour away from Napier on the bus, which is considered a good connection if your using public transport in the more remote parts of New Zealand.

A day of Decodance

Napier is a small city located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. This region is renowned for it's Mediterranean-style climate (enjoying some of the highest number of sunshine hours in New Zealand) and producing some of the world's finest wineries, as well as being New Zealand's largest apple, pear and stone fruit producer. However, it's that the events that took place on 3^rd February 1931, which have largely defined Napier as the self-proclaimed "Art Deco Capital of the World". It was on this day that a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake known as the Hawke's Bay Earthquake claimed 258 lives, making it New Zealand's greatest natural disaster.

The mosaic designed by local artist, Liz Earth incorporates the poster of the 1933 New Napier Carnival

The city was quickly rebuilt in the Art Deco style (including Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission and Chicago School styles) as this was the popular style of the time and as a result Napier has the largest concentration of Art Deco buildings in the Southern Hemisphere, even rivalling the South Beach area of Miami. What makes the architecture in Napier so captivating is the use of Maori design elements and motifs, which are found nowhere else in New Zealand.

This year is the 81^stanniversary of the Hawke's Bay Earthquake and the 24^th Art Deco Weekend, which is one of the largest events of its type in New Zealand. It is also the 75^th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), hence the theme "A Tribute to Aviation.

With the Art Deco Weekend in full swing we took part in one of the Art Deco Trust's guided tours called "Deep in the Art of Deco Walk". This was a unique opportunity to explore Napier's Art Deco interiors to learn about some of the best-kept secrets. The walk was two hours long and took us inside ten buildings which aren't normally accessible to the public. Starting off at the Prairie style Clive Square Community Centre (1925) we walked down to the Municipal Theatre (1938) to check out the foyer area, followed by the mezzanine of the Daily Telegraph Building (1932).

The neon lighting in the Municipal Theatre is reminiscent of the Hollywood era

The light fittings in the Daily Telegraph Building are replicas of the originals

View looking up in the foyer area to the mezzanine floor

We then visited the recently restored Harton's Building (1932) is one of two buildings in Napier with barley twisted columns, and the 1935 extension of the Edwardian-style County Hotel added to the western half of building. The County Hotel is now the only example of a Victorian-Edwardian classical style building that survived the devastating 1931 earthquake.

The internal leadlights of the County Hotel are a mixture of Art Noveau and Deco-eqsue shapes

The grand piano in the lobby area of the original 5 star hotel in Napier

The original Edwardian exterior of the hotel

The Spanish Mission style Hartson's Building was designed by E.A.Williams

This is considered one of the finest shop fronts in Napier

The building has always been a music shop and was once owned by Neville Hartson

Rounding off the tour we saw the impressive Louis Sullivan inspired old AMP Building (1934), the Stripped Classical Former Government Buildings (1938), the Maori decorated ASB Bank (1932) - apparently this is one of the best examples of a European-use building of Maori design. The final buildings were two office buildings, the first being Devon House (1934), which was designed by the famous Auckland architects, Gummer, Ford, Hoadley & Budge, as well as the enchanting glass dome in the Sainsbury, Logan & Williams Building (1932).

Hanging light fitting in the Old AMP Building

The safe to the Old AMP Building which is now the New Zealand Wine Centre

Heavy bolts indicated an early form of "Constructivism" in the Former Government Buildings

The Stripped Classical entrance

 

The external parapet of the ASB Bank has an authentic Whakairo design

The impressive coffered ceiling is bordered by a Kowhaiwhai design

In corner of the ceiling panels are Taiahas (spearheads)

Etched glass Art Deco design in the doors of Devon House

The building's glass ceiling was revealed after it was refurbished in the mid 1990s

Foyer area with additional mezzanine floor

Sainsbury, Logan & Williams Building has always been the offices of Hawke's Bay oldest legal firm

The glass dome in all its glory

More photos of the various Art Deco buildings around Napier from our original trip can be found my flickr photostream on the following link.
 
Throughout the streets there were lots of people dressed up in the 1930s style to get in the mood for the weekend and there were plenty of vintage cars on show. There were all sorts of makes and models pre-dating 1946 including Fords, Buicks, Chryslers, Jaguars, Plymouths, Rolls Royces, plus many others. It's possibly the greatest number of classic cars I've ever since all in one place.

A vintage Rolls Royce

A dapper gentlemen admiring a classic Austin car

A Chrysler hood ornament similar to the ones found on the Chrysler Building in New York

Possibly one of the most famous Art Deco buildings in the world, the Chrysler Building

Later on during the day we caught some of the flying display where some classic war planes thundered through the sky above the Sound Shell performing a variety of death-defying stunts. More impressively was the navy helicopter circling around in front of the Veronica Sunbay - at one point someone from the helicopter was winched down and flown around above the ocean!

The RNZAF Red Checkers were thrilling crowds above the Colonnade

Some impressive helicopter manoeuvres in front of the Veronica Sunbay

The real highlight of the evening was the Big Sounds Tonight event at the Sound Shell. As the sun was setting over Hawkes Bay, the Hawke's Bay Jazz Club Big Band we're playing all the hits from 1930s to a decent size crowd in the Colonnade. People were dancing at the front of the Sound Shell and plenty of others brought folding chairs to get a decent view of the stage.

Hawke's Bay Jazz Club Big Band on the Sound Shell

In the interval we had time to check out a World War II search light down by the main beach and to take some pictures of the colourful Tom Parker fountain as it was providing a visual spectacle with it's lights and water jets display.

Lizzie by the World War II searchlight

The enchanting Tom Parker Fountain