A new beginning - deco delights  in Aotearoa

Napier in New Zealand is known as the Art Deco capital of the world. This preserved city is host to the 75th anniversary of the annual Art Deco Weekend. Karen Wilson guides us on a tour  of this jewel in the Southern Hemisphere.

In Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, on 3 February 1931, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale and subsequent outbreak of fire in the central business district reduced buildings to rubble, dust and ashes. "The air was full of drifting embers and wooden cinders" says student survivor Jill Rhodes.

Frederick Clothier wrote: "They [trams] will never run again.  In fact I don't think they will ever build the town again, we have no water, sewerage or gas. Theharbour is no longer a harbour, I think it's goodbye to sunny Napier". Yet despite this and with a population reduced by 258, the city rebuilt itself, eventually emerging as a cohesive, frozen architectural monument to  Art Deco. By the end of the decade, Napier was the newest city on earth and is now known as the Art Deco capital of the world.

The 75th anniversary in February 2006 attracted between thirteen and fourteen thousand national and international visitors to the annual Art Deco Weekend, affirming its place on the international festival circuit. One visitor commented "I've been to the Edinburgh Festival and this is much bigger than that". Tourists inadvertently caught in the event whilst travelling were treated to many events including a vintage car parade, Soap Box Derby, Gatsby Picnic, Bathing Belles competition, Costumes and Coiffure competition, golf tournament, Soft Shoe Shuffle Ball and concerts and dances at the Sound Shell. "Wow, what a beautiful slice of history you have preserved here," commented Canadian visitors Frank and Elisa Wentworth.

"I've never seen so many Art Deco houses in one place before" say overseas visitors to Marewa, a suburb of Napier. Such comments led to the Art Deco quarter joining five other potential candidates to be put forward and considered for submission to UNESCO World Heritage. Napier's Art Deco is renowned for its pastel colours, bold lines and elaborate motifs, but what makes Napier exceptional is its unique use of Maori motifs and designs by James Augustus Louis Hay.

A Fabergé jewel set in the industrial  tundra of a working port

Hay's iconic heritage-listed National Tobacco Company building lies on reclaimed land, minutes from both the central business district and the inner harbour foreshore of Ahuriri. This admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright offset the simple form of the building against elaborate ornamentation. It is said the carved wooden doors cost £600, an unthinkable sum during the Depression. The arch portrays an Art Deco sunburst with Art Nouveau stemmed roses. A New York Times journalist described the building as a "Fabergé jewel set in the industrial tundra of a working port". However, the port area is now becoming more residential with substantial apartment development supported by cafes, bars and retail.

Hay also had a part in the design of The Master's Lodge, originally the home of the director of the National Tobacco Company. Today you can stay here and admire the many original furnishings which have been retained including ornate leadlight windows. With only two suites, it is an exclusive five star haven for that private getaway offering gourmet dinners, spa options, wedding and honeymoon packages.

A significant percentage of visitors to New Zealand originate from the UK. Last year an anticipated 18,000 were applying for permanent residency in New Zealand. A survey by National Savings and Investments found a quarter of British first time buyers considered extending their search abroad. A third of these contemplate New Zealand or Australia. Figures from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand in December 2006 indicate that the median house price was £119,000 ($330,000).

Britain's was £200,000 ($563,540). In January this eased from $330,000 to $327,000. Hawke's Bay saw a rise in the median house price from $251,000 in December 2005 to $255,000 in December 2006.

Local estate agent Bayleys is offering the National Tobacco Company for sale by international tender as a single entity or as seven individual land and building parcels until closing on  30 April. The site, formerly used to manufacture tobacco products, encompasses 4.6 hectares of land and 38,203 square metres of buildings. It is well positioned for redevelopment given its location, mixed-use zoning, size and extensive road frontage providing excellent exposure and accessibility.

Residential Art Deco is plentiful from Napier to neighbouring Hastings city. In the suburb of Taradale, Cox Partners are marketing a three bedroom house with classic thirties light fittings for $379,000. Bayleys is promoting, by negotiation,
a three bedroom house in Marewa complete with native Pohutukawa Tree (known locally as the Christmas Tree due  to its blossoming red flowers in December).

An investment in New Zealand property offers lower prices, a favourable exchange rate, strong capital growth, tax advantages and a clean, green and safe place to live. Whether these factors lure you to begin anew in New Zealand or not, it will forever remain my beginning, my birthplace, my home.

Karen Wilson joined Rettie & Co. in June 2005 and provides administrative support to the Directors, Associate Directors and team in Residential Property Sales.

Rettie & Co Ltd. Registered in Scotland No SC144330.

Registered Office Deuchrie, Dunbar, East Lothian, EH42 1TG.

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