Review of Art Deco tour, Napier, New Zealand…read more http://www.absolutedetours.co.nz/ We took a van tour with this company around Napier. Our driver was excellent and showed us many interesting areas in and around this city. We had several opportunities to take photos, but it should be noted that the best photo opportunities in downtown Napier were seen on foot. We had arranged the tour ahead of time by email, but they also take on customers at the "i" centre on the day of the tour. We paid for the tour inside the "i" centre. We got to the "i" centre from the cruise ship by shuttle bus. Our ship stopped in Napier on January 26, 2017. The tour was excellent, and the city itself is almost a living museum. We were very fortunate to see so many different parts of the city (beyond the downtown) using this van tour. Our driver was very knowledgeable about the history and architecture of the area. We give this tour 5 stars out of 5 stars. We highly recommend this organization. Bob and Sandra Swanson

When we decided to visit Napier for a brief vacation we were advised to do The Deco Bus Tour and it…read morewas an awesome experience. Our driver/tour guide was friendly and knowledgable about the history and culture of Napier. With only four of us on the tour, the entire experience was very personable. We felt is was well worth our time and expense.

Loved the views from Bluff Hill Domain…read more Thanks to Mark from Hawkes Bay Scenic Tours for sharing this beautiful vantage point with our cruise ship tour group. Love the views of the turquoise water, the waves crashing against the beach and the birds-eye view of our cruise ship. Walk to the small garden to see some birds and blooming flowers. A great stop on our Napier Wine, Cider and Art Deco tour. Note: Book independently for a smaller more intimate experience and save some money, too. Pick up the tour at the National Aquarium. Safety first. Seatbelts required.

Cute Art Deco hotel across from the Napier Library and Art Museum. Walk across the street to enjoy…read morethe beach. Napier is filled with so many historic Art Deco gems. After the earthquake of 1931 that destroyed downtown Napier. The city was rebuilt in the style that was fashionable at the time, Art Deco. Today, these buildings are preserved leading to a large collection of beautiful buildings in a relatively compact area.

The room was comfortable. It cost $269 to stay here, which is reasonable. The customer service was…read moreimpressive. Parking is free after 5 p.m. which is great! Very close to the beach, which is lovely. Stores close at 5 p.m., which was unexpected - so if you want to explore the shops, you'll need to do that early. Would recommend staying here!

Our time arriving in Napier New Zealand just happens to coincide with the preparation of " Napier's…read moreArt - Deco Festival" , which happens to take place in the month of February. Today was media day for the upcoming event ! Hooter's Vintage Classic Cars were all on display for this event. The cars were fully restored and may I ad were beautiful ! Just imagine yourself being chauffeured on a private tour of all the Art - Deco architecture in town, or a trip to the wine country ! Hooter's Vintage Classic Cars is a family owned and operated business with the largest collection of older vehicles in New Zealand. Their tours are customized to your needs and their drivers are professional and very knowledgeable ! Time to go for a ride ! Live/Love/Travel !

A prefect day. We were looked after so well by Ana at dispatch and Tere on our tour. The car was a…read moregreat way to see the local wineries and our guide was excellent. Bubbly, informative and fun!!!

Amazing Wine, Beer and Art Deco Tour with Mark from Hawke's Bay Scenic Tours…read more After a lengthy delay due to high winds, we disembarked from our cruise almost 90 minutes late. Miraculously, Mark was able to rearrange the timing and provide our group with the most amazing tour. Loved hearing about the history of the area, the beaches and why Napier is the Art Deco Capital. So interesting to hear about everything from earthquakes and floods to healthcare, agriculture and education as we toured so many amazing neighborhoods each with a hidden treasure or story. Of course, the visit to the beautiful Mission Estate Winery was amazing. The vineyards and estate home are so beautiful. The cider tastings were unexpectedly delightful. Loved the apple orchards. One of the best parts, though, was seeing Napier with someone who really loves and is so proud of his hometown. Loved driving through downtown Napier not once but twice because Mark didn't want us to miss anything. Even the bridges have Art Deco touches. Loved seeing the Boys School, the Girls School and the cricket fields. So interesting to make a short stop at Centennial Gardens which was created in an old site quarried by the prisoners who lived across the street. Now this beautiful garden is filled with a waterfall, bridge and a peaceful pond. So nice to climb up to Bluff Hill Domain and get a beautiful view of the Napier Port, our cruise ship and enjoy more gardens. Loved visiting another vantage point to see the Art Deco City while enjoying looking at wooden Victorian homes that survived the catastrophic earthquake of 1931. The before and after historic photos were truly unbelievable. Wine. Beer. Art Deco. Agriculture. Golf courses. Birds. Education and more. This really was one of the best tours that we have ever taken. A special thanks to Mark for a very wonderful day exploring Napier and Hawke's Bay.

We had a perfect day with Maggie. We arrived by cruise ship and were met by the most friendly…read moredriver. It was a rainy day, but, Maggie made our day special and was flexible to insure we had the best experience. Great wineries, very knowledgeable, and beautiful city.

We visited Napier, New Zealand in December 2018. The staff are all super friendly! This escape room…read moreis located in an actual prison that has been transformed into a tourist attraction. Getting to this location was a bit of a hike. We suggest taking an Uber or taxi to get to the front of the facility. All the escape rooms are authentic and have remained true to scale. For the "Therapy Unit" room, we started off blindfolded and handcuffed in separate cells. Obviously, we felt immersed into our game the minute that we started. Since they kept their rooms true to the storyline, there wasn't that much technology incorporated. * Check out our website for more info: www.ESCAPETHEROOMers.com and feel free to use our discount code on their rooms - 10% OFF DISCOUNT CODE: ESCAPEMASTERS

We had a wonderful day on the grape escape wine and dine tour. Greg promptly picked us up from our…read morehotel at 11 and we toured 5 excellent wineries with one stop for a lunch at a vineyard and some wine and cheese. He was friendly and knowledgeable, providing us with interesting facts about the area and wineries and we had a great experience. The pace was easygoing and laid back and we enjoyed the excellent wine, food and company! He let us take as long as we wanted to at each winery and it never felt rushed. He was friendly and informative. I did a lot of research to pick the tour company and I am very happy I chose grape escape! Excellent experience and value for money!

This was an awesome wine tour! Our tour guide, who's id was posted on the dash but unfortunately I…read morehave since forgotten his name, and he can only be identified as the man with a haircut as he did have a sweet hairdo in that id picture. However, his locks had since been tamed, but his knowledge of wine and his hospitality were still awesome. Our tour guide spoke expertly of wine, but never bored us. He mentioned tasting notes at the wineries, but was never intrusive. He was a safe driver, and he fed us cheese. He was a good man.

An amazing ride through the beautiful countryside and along the ocean. Super nice E bike, crushed…read morethe ride and made it super easy and fun. Highly recommend it.

We were in Napier, NZ on our cruise aboard Viking Orion in December, but due to a scheduling…read moreconflict, we missed our ship-arranged bike tour. But, later that day, the ship's shuttle bus dropped us off right in front of Napier City Bike and we quickly decided to rent bikes for a self-guided tour. It was great! Very friendly and quick service, lots of choices, directions and a map, and truly a bargain for about 1 1/2 hours rental. On return we were welcomed back and asked about our trip down the beach and back. We highly recommended this, especially for cruise ship passengers with a little time available.

Great location for doing the wetlands bike tour of around 22 km. Top-notch quality bikes at…read morereasonable prices. Highly recommend.