Visiting Napier, New Zealand: Top Sights on Foot

Napier is a coastal city in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand, known for its distinctive architecture, museums, churches, sculptures and seafront. The city offers plenty to see on foot, from historic buildings in the port quarter to Marine Parade landmarks beside the ocean. Neywo has a free audio guide for Napier with 29 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to see in Napier

Napier’s sights are spread across several walkable areas. The following places bring together the city’s history, cultural institutions, religious buildings and public art.

Customhouse and the National Tobacco Company Building

In Napier’s port quarter, the Customhouse, also known as the Old Customs House, offers a glimpse into the city’s past. Nearby, the National Tobacco Company Building preserves a connection with the National Tobacco Company and stands out as another historic stop.

Together, these buildings help introduce the character of the port area, where historic landmarks sit alongside theatres and churches.

Faraday Museum of Technology

The Faraday Museum of Technology explores technology and objects connected with its development. Its displays invite visitors to consider how the relationship between people and technology has changed over time.

It is one of the stops on the rebuilt-city route, making it a useful addition to a walk through Napier’s central landmarks.

MTG Hawke’s Bay

MTG Hawke’s Bay Tai Ahuriri brings a museum, theatre and art gallery together under one name. The complex occupies three buildings in Napier and was redeveloped in 2013, uniting them as a shared cultural destination.

The name reflects the different experiences available inside: exhibitions, art and theatre. Its location also makes it an important stop on the Marine Parade, bus and cycling routes.

Waiapu Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist

Waiapu Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist is also commonly called Waiapu Cathedral or Napier Cathedral. Located on Browning Street, it has an Art Deco character that distinguishes it from many Anglican cathedrals.

The present cathedral was completed in 1965 and consecrated on 8 October 1967. It serves as the mother church of the Diocese of Waiapu within the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

Municipal Theatre

The Municipal Theatre, also known as Napier Municipal Theatre, is one of the city’s notable historic buildings. It features on the route through Napier’s theatres, squares and churches, alongside several other places that reveal the character of the rebuilt city.

Taradale Anglican Church, Trinity Methodist Church and Knox Church

Napier’s churches form an important part of its built landscape. Taradale Anglican Church is a church building in the city’s Taradale area, while Trinity Methodist Church provides another place to pause during a central walk.

Knox Church is located in the port quarter and appears on several Neywo routes, including the walk through Ahuriri and the route connecting the port with the seafront. It can therefore be combined with the Customhouse and National Tobacco Company Building.

Statue of Pania

The Statue of Pania, also known as Pania of the Reef, stands near the ocean along Marine Parade. This small bronze figure honours Pania, a figure from Māori mythology, and has become one of Napier’s most distinctive seaside landmarks.

The statue was commissioned by members of the Thirty Thousand Club after Anglican Bishop of Aotearoa Frederick Bennett told them the legend of Pania. Mei Irihapiti Robin was eventually chosen as the model after several students from Hukarere Girls College were photographed as possibilities; she later became known as Mei Whaitiri.

The statue’s piupiu skirt was photographed and sent with images of Mei to a Carrara marble company in Italy. The photographs were used to create a clay model before the work was transformed into bronze. The finished statue is estimated to weigh between sixty and seventy kilograms.

Pania has also had a turbulent history. In 1982, the statue was shot in the head and later repaired. It was stolen in October 2005, discovered by Jeff Foley and recovered by police on 4 November. After restoration, it returned to its place on 16 November 2005.

Heritage Fountain and A Wave in Time

The Heritage Fountain, known as Nga Puna Wai Whakapapa, is a sculptural fountain and a distinctive feature of Napier. It appears on the Marine Parade walk and on the bus route between the port quarter and the seafront.

A Wave in Time is another sculpture in Napier’s public landscape. Both works add contemporary and sculptural points of interest to a route that also includes the Statue of Pania and MTG Hawke’s Bay.

Ivy and The Gold of the Kōwhai

Ivy is a 2018 sculpture by Tony Cragg. Its contemporary form invites a closer look from different angles. The same stop also includes The Gold of the Kōwhai, whose title adds another evocative detail to this part of Napier’s public art landscape.

Sunscope

Sunscope is another sculpture to notice while exploring the city. It forms part of the public landscape and appears on the Marine Parade route alongside Pania, MTG Hawke’s Bay, the Heritage Fountain and A Wave in Time.

Daily Telegraph Building

The Daily Telegraph Building is a former newspaper building in Napier. Its name preserves a connection with the city’s newspaper history and makes it a worthwhile stop on a walk along the seafront.

Explore Napier with a self-guided audio tour

A New Zealand city shaped by historic buildings, cultural institutions and a distinctive seafront is especially rewarding to explore at street level. Neywo’s free Napier audio guide includes three walking tours, one bus route and one bike route, covering 29 narrated places.

The walks include:

• Napier’s Marine Parade: Pania, Sculpture and the Sea — 1.5 km, 76 minutes and 11 stops
• Rebuilt Napier: Theatre, Squares and Churches — 2.45 km, 75 minutes and 8 stops
• Ahuriri: Port Quarter Landmarks — 1.24 km, 43 minutes and 5 stops

There is also:

• A bus route from the port quarter to the seafront — 5.4 km, 23 minutes and 6 stops
• A bike route from Napier’s seafront to Ahuriri — 4.2 km, 21 minutes and 5 stops

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo and explore Napier’s streets, waterfront and port quarter with an audio guide that follows your journey.