Napier is the art deco hub of New Zealand sitting on the east coast just about in the middle of the North Island. There's a fun town centre with beautiful trees and a long parade you can walk along next to the beach. A drive up to Te Mata Peak gives a great view looking over town, too.
Te Mata Peak
We spent a couple days in Napier hanging out on the coast, visiting cafes, antique shops and secondhand stores. I was impressed by the quality of the stores we stumbled across as we wandered around both Napier and neighbouring Hastings, just a wee drive inland.
Here's five of the best stores we found on our wanders:
Brocante
31 Tennyson Street, Napier
This little shop transported us to an ethereal dream of Europe and beyond. Every item delicately selected and displayed emitted a true sense of peace and pleasure. We found joy in the farmhouse vibe that wove the various sections together - gorgeous furniture, home decor, dainty jewellery pieces and anything you could possibly want for the home.
Minton Booklovers
251A Emerson Street, Napier
The secondhand bookshop of dreams - a clean and tidy space that makes you feel comfortable and welcomed. We spent ages browsing the hundreds of titles all carefully chosen and organized. I could have easily walked away with half the shop tucked into my bag... There's also a massive selection of sweets and choccies to indulge your sweet tooth while you browse and read. It's all there for you!
Minton Booklovers
Whales Tale Antiques
Cnr Bridge Street & Waghorne Street, Ahuriri, Napier
This shop is like Mary Poppins' handbag - immensely larger on the inside than it seems. Room after room of an impressive array of high quality goods from around the world fill this wonderland of unique antique beauties. We came across a wonderful gold-gilded world map and almost took her home (we only didn't because she was too big for our suitcases...). There's something for everyone here if you take the time to poke around a bit!
OMGoodness Bread
106 Queen Street East, Hastings
A fresh smelling bakery creating gluten free, vegan, paleo, dairy free deliciousness PLUS a co-working space with free wifi and a self-serve tea and coffee station? Count me in. We spent a delightful afternoon here with the BEST bread we've ever had working away at this loft-style airy bakery. Highly recommend. Plus, they deliver their bread (and a ready-mixed bag for you to make your own!) all around the country.
OMGoodness Bread
Antique & Jewellery Centre
65 Tennyson Street, Napier
A little weird and wacky but mostly wonderful - this place is teeming with so much jewellery, bric-a-brac and antique delights. We spent a few hours across two days browsing the countless cabinets for that unique piece and I ended up walking out with three gorgeous new pairs of earrings for under $50 total! It's definitely worth a dig through their stock.
Antiques & Jewellery Centre
Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
