Car Rental Napier Airport

Napier is quite unlike anywhere else in New Zealand. Located on the east coast of the North Island, the city is filled with plenty to do when it comes to nature and city activities. 

Napier is perhaps most famous for its unique architecture. Napier is full of unique 1930s art deco style buildings. Due to an earthquake in 1931, much of the city had to be rebuilt, resulting in the unique art deco style. Thousands of architecture fans from around the world flock to see the buildings. A free and fun activity in your car hire is to drive around the Napier CBD and take in the sights on a tour of your own. Many liken Napier to a 1930s Los Angeles film set, with the stripped classic, Spanish mission and Art Deco styles mixed  to form a unique 30s look. 

Napier has a warm and pleasant climate, with the average temperature sitting above 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) for much of the year, making it the perfect location for outdoor activities such as hiking, bushwalking, surfing, wakeboarding and more. 

The area around Napier is now the second-largest wine-producing area in New Zealand. Many of the wineries offer packages to stay on the grounds and take part in various wine tastings, along with tours of the wineries and vineyards. 

A Few Fun Activities to see in Your Car Hire

Napier is full of fun activities for an entertaining day out. Start with the National Aquarium of New Zealand. It is the country’s largest aquarium and home to the most extensive range of sea life in New Zealand. Sit in on keeper talks, animal feeding and close encounters with some of the animals themselves. The aquarium sits along the Napier Parade and is easily accessible from wherever you’re staying. It is home to a 1.5 million litre Oceanarium that is viewable through a 50-metre glass tunnel. The tunnel offers incredible views of sharks, stingrays, reef fish and other creatures of the deep.

One of the top attractions in the whole region is the MTG Hawke’s Bay. An award-winning museum, MTG stands for Museum, Theatre and Gallery. See the collection of fine arts featuring artists such as Frank Carpay, Jenny Campbell and Rita Angus. Home to many historical and culturally significant artefacts, the collection consists of over 90,000 objects that have been curated and cared for since 1856. Located along the Marine Parade, MTG is full of interesting exhibitions. Check out their website to plan your visit.

Get Away from the Modern World in Napier with a Rental Car

While Napier’s city buildings are stunning and worth a tour and a few photo opportunities, sometimes you want to get away from it all and immerse yourself in nature. Just a short 8-minute drive outside Napier’s CBD, you will find yourself in one of the most important Māori settlements in New Zealand, the Otatara Pa: a Māori fortified village. Covering 40 hectares, the Pa is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country. See the food pits, foundations and layouts of the ancient settlement. 

Napier is a centre for the New Zealand wine industry, with multiple wineries all within driving distance of the Napier CBD. Visit the Church Road Winery, one of the most awarded wineries in New Zealand. Cellar door wine tasting, tours of the facility and a fantastic restaurant make it one of the finer places to travel in Hawke’s Bay.

A newer addition to the Hawke’s Bay winery family is the Elephant Hill Winery. With sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, this winery was founded in 2003 and has been building its reputation ever since. It is a testament to the endeavour of a family-owned business. So be sure to take home a few bottles with you and experience the best of Hawke’s Bay long after you’ve left. 

From architecture, to wine, to sea life, and more, Napier is a great spot to visit on its own or as part of a larger New Zealand journey. Make sure you don’t miss out on anything with a Thrifty car rental.