Top Things to do in Napier
10 Museums in Napier That You Shouldn't Miss
If you like Art Deco architecture, you must visit Napier. The town was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, then completely rebuilt in gorgeous Art Deco style. A number of local wineries also offer tours and tastings.
Restaurants in Napier
1. Faraday Centre museum
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 148 reviews
Fuel your imagination as you walk around Hawkes Bay’s largest Hand’s-on Interactive Museum. It’s a fascinating, family-friendly place, a place where children of all ages can have fun while learning. You can immerse yourself in an Aladdin’s Cave of technology, science and history. Explore our large collection of vintage machines, gadgets, or simply take a trip down memory lane while playing in the arcade, or phoning a friend the old fashioned way.
Reviewed By 318sallyf
If you have a place in your heart for nostalgia, you will love this museum. From pedal cars to Horse drawn Hearse, or 1950s School Dental Clinic, you will find plenty to take you back to the "good old days"!
2. VIVA Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
"Welcome to Our Gallery" VIVA gallery collective is a mix of professional, and emerging Hawke’s Bay artists .It is completely financed and operated by its members,- all sharing the passion, time and costs involved in running this gallery.-You will meet a dfferent artist in the gallery every day. VIVA includes painters, ceramics, glass, pottery, jewellery, and sculpture in stone,wood,and clay.
Reviewed By GeorgeM5883
We love Penny Madden the artist so pop in whenever we have a chance. The staff are really helpful and I recommend everyone to visit if you're in the area. The idea that this is a collective is so cool - Hawke's Bay people we need to support our retail and nurture our artists - art helps to make the world a beautiful place.
3. Boyd-Dunlop Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
4. The Art Shed
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By 168brendonb - Napier, New Zealand
The Art Shed has an amazing collection of super talented artists. Friendly welcoming environment and the perfect place to showcase serious talent. Love my visits there, always something new to see. Thanks Paula @theartshed
5. Gypsy Rose Tea Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
The Gypsy Rose Tea Museum features a stunning collection of memorabilia all about the traditions of Tea from New Zealand and around the world.Guided group tours and Tea Talks by arrangement.
6. Creative Arts Napier
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Creative Arts Napier is a diverse and exciting gallery space in central Napier, supporting the community arts with regular exhibitions, events and workshops. There is also a retail shop on site, with locally made arts and crafts for sale. We welcome visitors from all over New Zealand and overseas.
Reviewed By marywise1234 - Napier, New Zealand
CAN gives artists an opportunity to exhibit their work. The exhibition openings with the artist in attendance gives guests access to the artist to discuss exhibits & answer questions. Refreshments are available creating a social event where there is an eclectic mix of people. CAN is open daily & is a place for locals & tourists to find out what is happening in Napier & Hawkes Bay in the Art World.
7. Napier Library and Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By X8274IGderekc
Our self drive itinerary had us in Napier for the start of the famed Art Deco Festival, when the entire town seems to kick up its collective heels and celebrate, as if defying the dramatic history of the 1931 earthquake that devastated it. The short documentary film shown in the museum highlights the sudden ferocity of the quake as well as the equally fierce determination of the survivors to rebuild. That so much rebuilding was undertaken in so short a time explains the uniformity of architecture in the town centre, and the pride that local folk take in preserving and showcasing it on the February anniversary each year. Our walking tour guide, Murray, showed great knowledge of the various architectural nuances in a thorough but unhurried 90 minute walk. Re
8. MTG Hawke's Bay
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 305 reviews
MTG Hawke's Bay is at home in the heart of Napier forming the cultural centre of this stylish city for over 150 years. MTG Hawke's Bay is a place where people, objects and ideas meet. MTG inhabits three buildings of distinct character - an art deco masterpiece, a modernist gem and a light-filled gallery that looks out across the magnificent Hawke Bay. MTG Hawke's Bay is home to a nationally significant collection of art and objects that form the foundation of distinctive exhibitions and a world-class research facility. The MTG Theatre hosts a lively programme of film and performing arts. MTG Hawke's Bay uses its collection to tell the stories of New Zealand with assurance and style. This is the place to get a fresh perspective on the stories you know including the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake. Here too the art that adorns our walls and the objects that fill our homes come together alongside precious photographs and documents to creatively illustrate the life stories of successive generations of New Zealanders. Visit our fabulous little shop selling a range of MTG publications and merchandise inspired by the magic of the Museum collections. MTG Hawke's Bay welcomes visitors from all over the world to share in the complex and fascinating history of New Zealand through the lens of a distinct and characterful region.
Reviewed By ChrisH11055 - England, United Kingdom
A small, but very professionally run museum. Free entry, with an amazing exhibition downstairs on the Napier earthquake. Worth exploring for an hour or two.
9. Tennyson Gallery
10. Hawkes Bay Holt Planetarium
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
