Hawke's Bay – the earthquake of 3 February 1931 and Napier's rebuilding
On 3 February 1931 an earthquake measuring 7.9 devastated Napier and Hastings and claimed 256 lives, New Zealand's worst natural disaster. Napier was rebuilt in the style of its time, and the city is known today for its Art Deco buildings, remembered each February at the Art Deco Weekend, while MTG Hawke's Bay holds an exhibition on the earthquake and its impact. Earlier chapters include the bay whaling stations of the nineteenth century and the founding of Hawke's Bay Province in 1858, separated from Wellington Province after a meeting in Napier, until the provinces were abolished in 1876. Napier and Hastings remain the main centres. Members are warmly invited to share their memories and photographs.