naTty napier

Posted on by Nancy

Sunday, February 23, 2025 – Cute city, this one!  Located in the popular wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay, Napier was devastated by a 7.8 earthquake in 1931. The town was rebuilt in art deco style.  Today, beautifully maintained buildings and residents who enjoy classic cars and dressing in the fashion of the era spotlight this charming little city. 

One of the first art deco style buildings visible when entering town is a concert shell
The land extending into the sea on the far left is Cape Kidnappers
City park where people gather with picnics, etc., when shows are playing at the concert shell
One of the art deco style buildings on the main street

Fern and Larry selected a city tour and I went to Cape Kidnappers, a headlands area 25 miles southeast of Napier. Between Napier and the cape lies a very exclusive resort and golf course aptly named Cape Kidnappers. Two night minimum stays start at US$5000 for two, not including golf which is US$450 per person. Too rich for my purse! I was hoping to at least be able to see some of the golf course on the way by, but it’s situated to take advantage of the amazing ocean and cape views, so only a tiny glimpse of the course is available from the road. 

Entrance to the private road for the resort and golf course. The owners of the property allow the shuttle buses for the Gannet tours to pass through their property to access Cape Kidnappers
The tiny glimpse of the golf course
Cliffs along the way to the Cape
Cape Kidnappers

In 1769 Captain Cook’s ship, the Endeavour, anchored off the cape. Maori traders visitedk  the ship, and found a young Tahitian boy who they believed to be a captive. The Maori took the boy and fled. They were fired upon by Cook’s crew and several Maori men were killed. The boy safely escaped the Maori and swam back to the Endeavour. Captain Cook commemorated that event by naming the promontory Cape Kidnappers. 

The main objective to visit Cape Kidnappers was to see colonies of Gannets: beautiful, large (6-foot wingspan) white birds with peachy-colored heads and long bills. The colony area is roped off to keep people out of their nesting area, but the birds have no fear of the human visitors. They appear to be very social, moving around within the colony, and the adult birds flying in and out. The younger birds, gray and white, do not fly yet. The first time they fly is when they take off to migrate to Australia in late summer… they will leave very soon.

Young Gannet
Adult Gannets
A portion of the colony
Young and adult together
The beautiful markings of the mature birds are displayed here

When I got back to the dock, I was surprised to see a lineup of classic cars with men and women dressed up in period costumes. They are very proud of their cars and spent a lot of time sharing stories with various passengers.

Back on board the ship and looking forward to what tomorrow will bring!