We're back! After a great, but totally exhausting trip back home to the US, we're back in sunny Hawke's Bay. Just in time for the annual Art Deco Festival in Napier. Now for anyone even thinking of coming to visit us, I highly, highly recommend that you do it at the time of this festival (3rd weekend in Feb). It is held to commemorate the earthquake in 1931 that devastated Napier. The silver lining of the tragedy was that entire city was rebuilt in the Art Deco style of architecture in fashion at the time. As a result, Napier has something like the highest concentration of Art Deco buildings in one spot in the world (Miami eat your heart out).
And each year Napier shows off its Art Deco heritage with a festival that just keeps getting bigger and better. Hotels are booked months in advance and thousands come to dress in their Art Deco finest, drive their vintage cars, ride antique steam trains, watch old biplane air shows, listen to jazz and swing with a big band and dance in the streets. It is seriously like stepping back in time. I can't think of anything like it anywhere else.
For the first few years, we rented costumes like many people do. But now that we're locals and go to the festival every year, we each own a couple Art Deco outfits that we trot out and add to our collection each year. Now that we have Richie, we'll have to be on the lookout for a vintage stroller! Next year Paul and Richie may have to enter the soapbox derby! There are a ton of activities for both adults and the kids, and even the local teenagers get into it.
