In 1931, the small coastal town of Napier was forever changed by New Zealand’s worst natural disaster: the Hawke’s Bay earthquake, which reached 7.8 on the Richter scale, claiming 250 lives and razing Napier’s CBD to the ground. The tragedy created a blank canvas for Art Déco, the architecture style that prevailed worldwide in the first half of the 20th century. Napier holds one of the most well-preserved Art Déco ensembles in the world and is currently working to get listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
12/19/2024
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National Geographic Orion
Day at Sea toward Tauranga, New Zealand
Today was a sea day on National Geographic Orion as we sailed up the east coast of New Zealand followed by bottlenose dolphins towards our destination, Tauranga. A sea day on our great ship is always full of activity, starting off the day with presentations from Cultural Navigator Tua and followed by Cultural Specialist and New Zealander Alex Hillary. A fantastic Filipino/Asian themed lunch was prepared by Chef Rannie and his amazing team and ably served by Maître d’ Mio and his spirited team in a very joyous and excited room of hungry guests. After a short rest from lunch, guests were invited down to deck two to judge a Christmas hallway of decorated doors. A competition was held where crew members would decorate their doorways in a Christmas theme, using whatever decorations they could find or make. The Christmas spirit was truly alive with festive colors, decorations, and happy Christmas songs as guests were wowed by the artistry and original creations.
