Our Top 12 Architecture Tours in New Zealand

1.Guided 10am Morning Art Deco Walk From Napier Art Deco Trust

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 167 reviews · from $20Our pick

Explore Napier’s Art Deco quarter on a 90-minute guided walk with an earthquake film, local stories, headsets, and easy pacing.

“Good walking tour (with short introductory movie to start). Headsets included. Plenty of info regarding the devastating earthquake in Napier in the 1930s, the impressively quick rebuild, and the many examples of art deco architecture across the city centre. Knowledgeable guide too. I do think it'd be better to have a slightly lower maximum number of guests on the tour, though, as it did feel that the group was at times in the way of other people trying to get past, and it was tough for the guide to keep the group together.”

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2.Guided 2pm Afternoon Art Deco Walk from Napier Art Deco Trust

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 97 reviews · from $20Top rated

Explore Napier’s Art Deco quarter on a 2.5-hour guided walk with film, local stories, expert guides, and practical weather tips.

“This tour was a great way to explore the city of Napier and learn about the rich history. Our guide, Christopher, was very knowledgeable about the history of the city and the architecture. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour and would highly recommend it to anyone. Napier was definitely a highlight of our trip!”

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3.Shore Excursion: Napier/ Hawke’s Bay & Premium Wineries tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 93 reviews · from $96

Explore Napier Art Deco, Mission Estate, premium wine tastings, Bluff Hill, honey, and Hawke’s Bay sights on a four-hour shore tour.

“Another couple from the cruise ship joined us for the tour, and we all had a great time. Anil is an excellent tour guide. He communicates well, uses the microphone effectively, and is funny. Every stop was good, but I especially appreciated the Read more”

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4.Shore Excursion: 4 Hour Premium Hawke’s Bay, Napier Art deco Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 37 reviews · from $86

See Napier’s Art Deco streets, Te Mata Peak, honey farms, orchards, and Hastings on a practical four-hour Hawke’s Bay shore tour.

“Our guide was amazing, she was very knowledgeable. She gave us very detailed information about the local area. She brought honey to taste and told us most interesting facts about it. The facts about kiwi plants and their cultivation was very interesting. The whole trip was enjoyable and memorable.”

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5.Explore the legacy of artist, ecologist, architect, visionary

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 23 reviews · from $18Best value

Explore Hundertwasser’s art, ecology, and architecture beside Whangarei’s river, with Māori art, rooftop views, and all-day entry.

“A place of colourful art which reminds one of childlike pleasure in experiencing colour and shape. Very nice restaurant as well. Not to be missed.”

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6.Napier and Hawkes Bay Scenic and Art Deco Tour by VW Kombi

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 21 reviews · from $142

Review of Napier’s private VW Kombi tour, with Te Mata Peak views, honey tastings, rural stops, fruit, and Art Deco sights.

“Craig was willing to do what we wanted. He was generous with offering us fruit and wine! The VW bus was fine , but not air conditioned which was fine for our weather that day.”

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7.Art Deco Bike Ride and Wineries Loop

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 19 reviews · 6 hours · from $68

Review of Napier’s Art Deco and winery e-bike loop, with coastal views, estuary birdlife, route tips, costs, and honest drawbacks.

“A nice relaxing way to see the city and learn about the art deco history of the area.”

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8.Small group – Napier City & Art Deco Tour, 2 hours

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 18 reviews · from $80

Explore Napier’s Art Deco streets, earthquake story, suburbs, and National Tobacco Building on a small-group tour with hotel pickup.

“An extremely informative tour. A very knowledgeable tour guide. Enjoyed the commentary especially with the historical information around Napier.”

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9.Napier Shore Excursion: Wine & Art Deco Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6 reviews · from $102

Explore Napier’s Art Deco streets, 1931 earthquake story, Hawke’s Bay wine, and local beer on a practical four-hour cruise excursion.

“The mission winery was beautiful and the wine master was very informative. The drive through town and various landmarks allowed us to see much of this quaint location.”

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10.Shore excursion – Napier sight seeing/Art Deco Tour,

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · from $61

See Napier’s Art Deco treasures, Marine Parade, Bluff Hill, and the National Tobacco Company Building on a compact small-group tour.

“Learnt so much on this tour and got to view so many great Art Deco buildings. Impressed that one city can have so many, well kept buildings from the Art Deco Period. This is in no small part down to the Napier Art Deco Trust and there volunteers”

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11.Napier Cruise Excursion Art Deco Tour and Wine Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · from $111

Explore Napier’s Art Deco streets, Māori navigation, Ahuriri, street art, and Hawke’s Bay wine on this private cruise excursion.

“Nice sized group to travel with. Guide took us to various parts of Napier so we could see the area from different vantage points / living areas. Shared personal experience of the area and made the trip very enjoyable. Learnt a lot about a great place without feeling rushed or bombarded with inane details, I.e. not script led.”

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12.Christchurch Architectural Marvels: Private Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · from $449

Explore Christchurch’s gardens, galleries, cathedral sites, and Māori heritage on a private two-hour walking tour with a local guide.

“Simon was great. He provided interesting historical info and insights. He is very proud of his home city of Christchurch and it was revealed in his sense of humor and presentation as we walked. It was active but at our pace. He was gracious Read more”

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