Art Deco Charm

Window Box

New Regent Street

Christchurch

Jan.2009 Ajr

Greymouth Architecture

Greymouth, West Coast. Nov. 2008. Ajr

Like many people, I have been known to make jokes about Greymouth - mostly to the effect that it is aptly named; but when I visited in November last year, the sun was streaming down and this usually-dull little town took me quite by surprise. I roamed the streets with a friend, taking photographs and we came away with all sorts of gems. I particularly liked the solid green bulk of this old Art Deco building, which now serves as a popular cafe.

Provincial Art Deco

Riverside Christian Fellowship Building, Rangiora. Oct. 2008. Ajr

I drove out into the country for an interview yesterday and I came via the little rural township of Rangiora about twenty minutes north of Christchurch central. I felt bound to stop and photograph this handsome Art Deco building in one of the side streets. It belongs to the Riverside Christian Fellowship and looks quite grand with the big billowing clouds behind - and the little red farm vehicle in front seemed a fitting rural addition to the composition.

Art Deco in the South

High Street, Christchurch. Auguet 2008. Ajr

This hefty Art Deco statement at the intersection of High Street and Tuam Street, is the old High Street Post Office, designed by architect J.T.Main and built in 1930.

It's now home to a video parlour, The Physics Room art gallery and other assorted concerns.

Meet the People - 12

June 2008. Ajr.

Another in the series Meet the People - Ordinary and Extraordinary New Zealanders Doing Interesting Things - Larry and Joan Blume are new New Zealanders – two Americans who decided this country offered the perfect retreat from big city bustle – and as owners of the very delicious Master’s Lodge in Napier, they’ve lavished comfort and hospitality upon hundreds of guests since they bought the historic property in 2003. Larry, a successful international lawyer who spent most of his adult life in Washington DC, San Francisco and New York, met Joan, a successful New York dentist in NYC. They married at the beginning of the new millennium and came to New Zealand on holiday in 2002. A year later they were back after purchasing The Master’s Lodge – a beautiful residence designed in the famed ‘Australasian bungalow’ style in the late 1800s. It was later expanded and retro-fitted in Art Deco style in the 1930s by New Zealand architect, Louis Hay for the wealthy entrepreneur, Johann Gerhard Husheer, founder and director of the National Tobacco Company. Larry and Joan’s joint passion for food and wine is good news for their guests. Larry is a great cook and wine connoisseur and Joan is an avid pastry chef and chocolatier – a combination that can only mean good things for everyone - and not surprisingly they’ve received rave reviews from around the world. www.masterslodge.co.nz

Art Deco Favourite

National Tobacco Company Ltd. Ahuriri, Napier. June 2008. Ajr

The National Tobacco Company building in Ahuriri, Napier is everybody’s favourite example of Art Deco. Designed by architect Louis Hay and built in 1933, it is one of Napier’s most elaborately-detailed post-1931-earthquake buildings. It is seen by many as Hay’s tour de force for the way it combines elements from Art Nouveau, Art Deco and the Chicago School. Decorations on either side of the front door feature raupo (native bulrush) and roses and its brass banisters, ornate lamps, marble foyer and spectacular stained glass inner dome (featured here a few days ago – you’ll find it if you scroll down), combine to make it one of the most photographed buildings in Hawke’s Bay. I’m not going to confess to how many photos I took of it but I revisited it several times. www.hawkesbaynz.com

Art Deco Shopping

The Art Deco Shop, Napier. June 2008. Ajr

It’s virtually impossible to visit Napier and not be drawn in to the whole Art Deco thing; and to get the best overview, you really need to start at The Art Deco Shop – which fittingly reflects its Art Deco neighbours in its front window. It’s from here that a whole set of terrific Art Deco Walking Tours set off – bus or vintage car if you’d rather, guided or self-guided if you’d prefer. Over 23,000 people do the guided Art Deco walk each year, learning everything there is to know about the massive earthquake that shook the Hawke’s Bay in 1931, destroying the heart of Napier, damaging over 200 buildings in Hastings and killing 256 people. Within two years of that disaster, Napier and Hastings had been rebuilt in the distinctive Art Deco, Spanish Mission, Stripped Classical and Prairie style architecture that it is now so famous for. The Art Deco here is unique for its inclusion of Maori motifs and the influence of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Chicago School in the work of local architect, Louis Hay. www.artdeconapier.com

Art Deco Daze

Art Deco Detail, Napier. June 2008. Ajr

I'm still in Napier and I've now photographed so many Art Deco buildings I'm dreaming in pastel colours!

Art Deco Gone Mad

Taradale, Hawke's Bay. June 2008. Ajr

In an idle moment this afternoon I found myself drifting out of Napier city and into the rather bland suburb of Taradale. I had free time and the sun was shining. I needed no other reason to wander aimlessly. And so it was with some surprise that I found myself parking outside McDeco McDonalds!! Yes, you read that correctly. If my memory serves me correctly, this is the only McDonald’s restaurant in the world (or was it one of two?) housed in an authentic Art Deco building – for which we can be truly thankful! Formerly the Taradale Hotel, it is at least a prettier setting than most of the chains eateries.

Art Deco Central

Glass Dome, National Tobacco Company, Ahuriri, Napier. June 2008. Ajr

Here I am in one of the world's major Art Deco centres - Napier, New Zealand.

I thought I'd tempt you with this glorious glass dome in the very beautiful National Tobacco Company building in Ahuriri. Now surrounded by warehouses and railway operations, it's nonetheless a stunning building - and when the famous-sun-I've-heard-about comes out, I'll take a decent photo of it.

In the meantime, there are other things to explore.

http://www.hawkesbaynz.com/