Hiya folks. Was out in my home town of Napier, New Zealand with a camera today so I felt I'd take a few shots. Napier is a seaside city of about 55,000 people, known primarly for it's Art Deco architecture. Enjoy :~) (exuse the amatuer pics :P)

A picture taken from the beach, looking out toward Cape Kidnappers, a world famous Ganet colony:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9694.JPG

A interesting looking structure on the Marine Parade, a seaside boulevard:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9695.JPG

The Napier sun dial, looking north with Marine Parade on the left and the ocean on the right behind the trees:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9696.JPG

The sound shell, where open air concerts and events are held:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9697.JPG

A view down a main street in Napier's CBD:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9699.JPG

The Dome, a restaurant being converted into apartments:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9700.JPG

The statue of Pania on the left, with the soundshell in the background:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9702.JPG

An old hotel built in the 1930's, a paramount of the art deco style:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9703.JPG

The IRD Building (these people take all your money), with the hill behind it:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9704.JPG

The Anglican Cathedral of Napier:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9706.JPG

A new 5 star hotel overlooking the ocean:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9707.JPG

Looking down the beach. The pathway I'm on runs for about 35km along the coast of Napier:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9708.JPG

A jet flies high over Napier, with the War Memorial Centre on the left, and Bluff Hill visable behind it:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9709.JPG

A view north-east over the ocean from the Bluff Hill Lookout:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9712.JPG

The eastern part of The Port of Napier, from the lookout:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9713.JPG

And the western part:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9714.JPG

Looking west from the lookout, with Ahuriri and the eastury in the foreground. Most of the land before the foothills in the middle of the picture was underwater before it was risen in the great earthquake of 1931.
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9715.JPG

A view of the Napier CBD from a small lookout:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9717.JPG

And another, with the cathedral in the foreground, and Te Mata Peak (399m) visable in the far background (the pointy hill):
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9718.JPG

A broader view of the CBD and the ocean:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9719.JPG

The abandoned hospital high atop the Hospital Hill. Closed by the ministry of health in 1995 (i think), it is still a landmark visable from just about anywhere within 50km:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9721.JPG

The backside of the closed hospital:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9722.JPG

The hospital from the roof of a nearby building (if you look closely you can see my mini in the bottom left of the picture:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9725.JPG

Looking north-west from the same building, across Ahuriri:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9724.JPG

A view across suburban Napier from the hill:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9729.JPG

Hydrabad Road, one of the main roads out of the CBD:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9731.JPG

Taken from Taradale Road, you can see the Hospital on the hill:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9732.JPG

A shot from Sugar Loaf, with the hill to the left, looking over suburban Napier toward the ocean. The CBD is just to the right of the hill:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9734.JPG

A shot from even further away from the hill, showing mor suburbia:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9448.JPG

Lastly, an old church near my home in Napier, built in the 1920's I think:
http://www.spotyo.orcon.net.nz/Napier/100_9556.JPG

Nice shots. Why'd they abandon the hospital?

nice pics dude! good ole Napier- the Art Deco City. But note that in yuor 8th pic (the County Hotel bldg on Browning st) is not actually Art Deco, its of a style prior to that.

The hospital was closed by the ministary of health because they were eliminating a lot of the smaller hospitals in NZ. Although the Napier hospital was the primary medical centre in the region, the land it was built on meant it couldn't be expanded, while the hospital in nearby Hastings could be. So the Napier hospital was shutdown and the Hastings hospital was upgraded.

Ah...
abandoned hospitals are cool.

Great pics. I was last there in January. I like that sound shell.

One more reason to return to New Zealand - my favourite country outside Latvia. Knew about this town but there was no possibility to visit it during my travel in NZ.

Art Deco is style which is rare in Latvia - war + economic recession in the first half of 1920ies. In Southern Seas it looks just wonderful.

There's a nice view from Te Mata Peak just outside of Napier. I havn't uploaded the big version, but you get some idea:

http://atkinson.orcon.net.nz/temata-pano1.jpg

Ah...
abandoned hospitals are cool.
I hope you're joking!! The one in Townsville is an absolute eyesore. It's been sitting there abandoned since 2001, very ugly indeed.

yeah definitely time redevelope the old hospital. Ad some density mate! Napier looks great. The color of the sand on the beach is a bit odd though. Maybe they could import some whiter sand from Fiji or New Caledonia and spread it around a bit.