LUXURY CRUISE COLLECTION

Napier, Australia & New Zealand

Napier, with its pleasant Mediterranean climate and famous art deco architecture, is a charming and lively seaside resort located on the eastern side of North Island.

With a rich farming and horticultural hinterland, Napier is the main center and port of the Hawke’s Bay province. It also is the largest wool-exporting port in New Zealand; the nearby Hastings area is famous as a fruit- and wine-growing region.

In 1931, Napier was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake. The city was rebuilt in a Spanish mission and art deco style that is unique to New Zealand. Every February, the town stages a special Art Deco Festival.

Napier’s lovely Marine Parade lures the visitor with a variety of attractions. Performing dolphins and seals can be seen at Marineland; the Hawke’s Bay Aquarium has a fascinating collection of marine life, including sharks and piranhas. Events relating to the 1931 earthquake are featured at the excellent Hawke’s Bay Museum. One of its best permanent exhibitions deals with the art of the East Coast’s Ngati Kahungunu people. Other displays cover the colonial history and arts and crafts of New Zealand. Just north of the museum is the Kiwi House, the only such place in the country where it is possible to actually touch and feed the indigenous flightless bird, the symbol of New Zealand.

The biggest natural attraction in the vicinity of Napier is the colony of Australasian gannets at Cape Kidnappers. This is the world’s largest mainland gannet colony. Usually these large sea birds breed only on isolated islands; Cape Kidnappers provides a unique opportunity to see them up close.
Ports for this region:

Auckland Brisbane Broome Cairns Cooktown Cruising the Great Barrier Reef Darwin Dunedin Exmouth Geraldton Hobart, Tasmania

Kimberley Melbourne Milford Sound Perth Port Douglas Rabaul Sydney Tauranga Townsville Wellington