Napier is experiencing its hottest October day in more than 20 years.
Art deco buildings are a huge part of Napier's identity, including The Dome, built in 1935. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
It was the hottest place in the country today, as the Hawke's Bay region experiences a spring heat wave.
MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said the Napier Airport weather station had recorded a high of nearly 28C.
This is the hottest October day since 1998.
A weather station in the city centre recorded 29C, but this station has only been around for a few years, so records did not go back as far.
Hines said the air over the North Island was humid, and the East Coast was getting warm winds through from the mountains.