Welcome to Hastings Earthquake
Learn about the devastation of the infamous 1931 Napier Earthquake, and the rebuilding that occurred afterwards in this informative audio tour. The damage was not restricted to Napier but spread to this farming city of Hastings and beyond where many buildings were destroyed and lives lost.
Some of the locations you will have the opportunity to visit include:
- the Clock Tower
- Roach's Department Store
- Hawkes Bay Opera House
- the Hastings Cenotaph
Take time to learn about the effects the earthquake had on buildings such as the Former Post Office and the iconic Clock Tower. This tour is memorable as well as poignant and includes survivor's tales. Your Tour. Your Way..
- 1. The Westerman's building is an unusual combination of Spanish Mission and Art Deco styles.
- 2. The former Roach's department store, now the TSB Bank, is designed in the modern style and has very clean lines and streamlined facades, as well as a circular room and a coloured glass skylight.
- 3. The Hawkes Bay Farmers Building survived the earthquake due to its "floating foundation" construction which allowed the building to to shift and bend along with the movement of the earth during a quake.
- 4. The Hawke’s Bay Opera House is regarded as one of the most impressive examples of Spanish Mission Architecture in the Southern Hemisphere
