Whangarei
17.89°C
Whangarei
17.89°C
Waitakere City
16.98°C
Manukau City
17.11°C
Papakura
24.46°C
Hauraki
17.26°C
Waikato
17.67°C
Matamata
18.46°C
Hamilton
17.51°C
Otorohanga
18.52°C
Rotorua
16.6°C
Taupo
15.44°C
Tauranga
19.27°C
Kawerau
18.6°C
Whakatane
19.64°C
Gisborne
15.51°C
New Plymouth
16.98°C
Stratford
8.97°C
Ruapehu
14°C
Wanganui
17°C
Palmerston North
16.41°C
Wairoa
19.19°C
Hastings
18.84°C
Napier
18.49°C
Masterton
15.49°C
Carterton
15.66°C
Porirua
15.99°C
Lower Hutt
16.45°C
Wellington
15.79°C
Tasman
9.35°C
Nelson
16.27°C
Marlborough
3.22°C
Kaikoura
15.48°C
Christchurch
12.59°C
Ashburton
12.52°C
Timaru
13.37°C
Waitaki
11.32°C
Waimate
13.08°C
Queenstown
12.38°C
Dunedin
14.33°C
Southland
9.98°C
Gore
11.31°C
Invercargill
12.06°C
Blenheim
14.73°C
Te Anau
27.35°C
Wanaka
11.17°C
Kaikoura
13.38°C
Stratford
13.54°C
Upper Hutt
15.9°C
About
With its kaleidoscopic play of colourful lights and jets of water, this fountain is among Napier's most popular Art Deco landmarks, located in the Marine Parade Gardens, Marine Parade. It often features in period-style photo shots and video footage.
The fountain was officially opened on the night before Christmas Eve in 1936. Having gone through the Depression, locals and visitors alike were drawn to this visual treat, particularly after dusk when the coloured lights transformed the attraction into a magical sight.
Its donor was the owner of a men's outfitters shop in Hastings Street. Tom Parker was a colourful Napier character who made many gifts to worthy causes and to the city.
On one of his regular visits to Britain, he was impressed by a modern illuminated fountain in Bournemouth. Returning to Napier, he donated £1000 for a similar fountain, which was designed by Napier architect J T Watson and built on Marine Parade on an area previously occupied by a children's playground.
The fountain was powered by a General Electric Company Novalux 15 Projector electric motor imported from the USA.
When it plays, the fountain's kaleidoscopic changes of coloured lights are synchronised with the sequences of the water jets.
The council redeveloped the remaining play area north of the fountain as lawns and gardens to match those south of the water feature. Beneath this area lies the rubble of the old Napier destroyed in the 1931 earthquake.