What it is
The parade combines road and esplanade along the pebbly foreshore of Hawke Bay. Its Norfolk pines were planted in 1893 behind the sea wall of 1889. After the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake, part of the foreshore was built up with rubble from the destroyed town, and the waterfront was rebuilt along with the Art Deco centre behind it.
Along its length are sunken gardens, fountains, playgrounds, a bathing pool complex, mini golf and cycle paths. The best-known statue is Pania of the Reef, a figure from local Māori tradition; nearby are the Sound Shell, an open-air stage from the Art Deco years, and the Spirit of Napier fountain. The National Aquarium stands near the southern end, and MTG Hawke's Bay faces the parade further north.
Getting there by bus
Route 11 (Napier, Hastings, Te Mata) stops at 167 Wellesley Road (stop N222), about 280 metres from this stretch of the parade, and on Hastings Street at stops H280 and N241, about 340 to 360 metres away, a walk of four or five minutes.
Route 3 (Napier, Maraenui and Tamatea) stops at 6 and 7 Latham Street (stops N125 and N161), about 350 metres away, and routes 1, 1A, 2 and 3 serve the stops at the Napier Health Centre (stops N6 and N64), about 700 metres inland.
