Story: Hawke’s Bay places

Roadside Stories: Hawke's Bay's big shake

New Zealand’s most devastating earthquake killed more than 250 people and destroyed much of Napier and Hastings in February 1931. The 7.8-magnitude quake was followed by fires which gutted central Napier. The city was rebuilt in art deco style – now a major tourist drawcard.

Listen to a Roadside Story about the quake. Roadside Stories is a series of audio guides to places around New Zealand.

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Archival audio sourced from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives. Sound files may not be reused without permission from Radio New Zealand Sound Archives (Reference number TCDR919 Tr 1).

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How to cite this page:

Kerryn Pollock, 'Hawke’s Bay places - Napier', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/interactive/35301/roadside-stories-hawkes-bays-big-shake (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Kerryn Pollock, updated 30 Nov 2015