It has been a busy two days in this Art Deco town, beginning with a walking tour, The Inside Story Walking Tour. Two down, two to go. Most of the inside photographs come from that tour
This and the next two pictures are from the inside of a Gentleman’s club. The first thing they built was a billiards room. It was one of the buildings that survived the earthquake and subsequent fire.
And among other things they added two card rooms. Women were finally admitted in 2022, probably because they needed new members, and now in 2026 there is a woman president. Funny how exclusively male clubs can still exist. I can’t help feeling they are a patriarchal dinosaur, but also know that it is a male hideout where decisions are made that affect all of us.
The inside pictures here and following are from businesses that have restored their properties for modern use but maintained the Art Deco interior. They have done a great job.
The above shots are from a bank, and it was my birthday. I enjoyed the Internet Banking sign against the Art Deco backdrop.
The guide told us about different variations of Art Deco style, Prairie (in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright), Spanish Mission, and I know there was more but I can’t remember at the moment. I will have to read up on them, how they developed and intersected. I also really enjoy Arts and Crafts, which is associated with Frank Lloyd Wright among others.
The entrance to the bank above
Our guide directing us to look up when we went into the store. This what we saw.
It has survived through many uses of this retail space.
The old Art Deco Centre
The new Art Deco Trust Centre, the restored Women’s Rest.
We need a break between images!
Louis Hay was one of the very active architects responsible for the rebuilding of Napier after the 1931 earthquake that destroyed most of the town. He liked flat frontages, not balconies being supported from below, so the balconies in this hotel are behind the facade.
Just a random, unoccupied shop door, waiting for a new future.
And the entrance close up
And decor
It is getting late and tomorrow is a Workman’s breakfast at 8.15 am. We are being taken to breakfast on a vintage steam traction engine around the seafront and on to Ahuriri.
Last picture. A perfectly framed alleyway. Any mistakes, such as the interior snot being connected to the exterior in this post are mine.