Historic Hawke's Bay: Clock stands test of time

Mr and Mrs A B Hurst donated the floral clock on Napier's Marine Parade as "a gift to the citizens of Napier".

The clock was dedicated at an opening in December 1955.

As a member of Napier's Thirty Thousand Club, Napier photographer A B Hurst played a key role in the development of the Marine Parade. After the 1931 Hawke's Bay Earthquake - when Napier resumed control from the commissioners, A B Hurst held another important position as chair of the council's town planning committee.

The clock, as pictured on 10 January, 1958, was positioned between the Tom Parker Fountain and the original swimming baths. When the War Memorial Hall was re-opened after extensive renovations as the War Memorial Centre on 30 September 1995, the clock had been moved to its present position facing the soundshell.

The War Memorial Hall (pictured in the background), when it originally opened in July 1957, was "dedicated to the memory of 300 members of the Napier community who gave their lives in World War II."

In 1958, the council installed an aquarium designed by Hawke's Bay Aquarium and Water Garden Society in the basement of the War Memorial Hall, the beginnings of Napier's Aquarium.

When the Wall Memorial Centre re-opened in 1995, the names of those who died in World War I, and post-World War II conflicts were added. As Napier's boundaries had increased since 1957, additional names were added.