Life and Times of Hometown New Zealand: A visit to Ngaire's home in Hastings

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Ever since I became friends with ngaire I wanted to visit vist her hometown. It is something about going home with someone, when you really understand them as a person. Plus, getting out the hussle of welly is a good thing- NZ hometowns are where the cultural immersion really happens-in my opinion. Welly is such an international city- with ppl from all over the world. hastings, rather, is a genuine NZ town. purely kiwi. just what i was looking for! Hastings is a small town of around 40,000. It is in the middle of Hawke's Bay- a region on the eastern coast of the North Island. It is most known for its great wines made on the regions many vineyards. :)

We caught the Intercity bus at 7 45 am. I woke up- and realized Ngaire wasnt waiting for me at the sidewalk- so i rushed to her flat. she was asleep. oops! SO we made a mad dash to the railway station and caught the bus just in time. we arrived at 7:44 am. Rachel was already there, so she persuaded the bus driver to wait just a few more minutes for us. The bus ride took about 4 1/2 hours. Once in Hastings, Ms. leighton greeted us at the bus stop. After a quick lunch, we explored hastings. Stopping in the COmmunity Arts center for a browse, and then heading to Napier, about 20 minutes from hastings.

In the 1930's Napier was destroyed by a massive earthquake, 7.9 on the richter scale! (Did i mention that NZ lies entirely on a HUGE and very active fault line in the south pacific?) The city was rebuilt however, but this time they chose to build it- Art Deco style. it's considered the "Art deco Capital of the world". With an architectural flair and NZ style along with influences of the Maori culture, Napier is a quaint little city by the pacific ocean. We walked around the town, visited the beach, enjoyed some Ice cream, and stopped in a really cool shop with things from all over the world.

We headed back to hastings to have some tea (aka dinner). Now comes one of my favorite parts: The Play. Rachel, me,ngiare, and her mom all went to see "Confessions of a Chocoholic"- a one woman play written and acted by the same woman from NZ. it was great! I totally related when it came to resorting to Chocolate for nearly every mood, excitement, anxiety, happiness, sadness, boredom, laughter, social gatherings....no reason at all.....it was a fun night!

Wine, Good people, and Sunshine

The next day we all woke up and met Ngaire's best friend, (my new favorite kiwi friend!), to go on a Wine Tour of Hawke's Bay. We hired bikes from "On yer Bike Wine Tour Co.". The owner was a typical kiwi farmer! barely understood a word he said. What a hoot. Armed with a map, hot helmets, and water we were on our way. The clouds eventually went away and we enjoyed our bike tour of the kiwi countryside. We stopped at 4 wineries, and biked through orchards, and past olive farms.

The tour guide co. provided us with a packed lunch, and the 4 of us sat under the trees at trinity Hill Winery to enjoy food, wine, and the sun. We nibbled on crackers and brie cheese, and ate our panini's while talking about visiting eachother around the world someday.

After filling our tummies we got back onto our bikes and kept on the tour. Each winery we stopped at was different than the last. We visited a vineyard that has been in a family for 4 generations, on an old Maori princess's homestead. That was my favorite. We learned from each person how the wine was made. it is SO fascinating. One girl at trinity Hilly is studying to be a Wine maker. In NZ there is a strong degree offered in Wine Science. She was so knowledgeable. We were told how the grapes were grown, under certain conditions and what would result from the weather conditions i.e a more acidic wine from a colder nighttime climate. We also learned how even the grain of a fermenting barrel can alter the taste and smell of a certain Wine. I appreciate all the work that goes into making the wine, and I give props to anyone who is a wine maker. At the last stop, rachel and I opted out of the wine (due to a 5 $ tasting fee) and we chose dessert instead! We enjoyed sitting in the sunny veranda eating our chocolate tiramasu. What a life, good wine, great chocolate, sunshine,and NZ countryside! sigh.

After the wine tour, we had tea and headed to Ngaire's old friends 21st birthday party. 21s's here are such a different experience than in the states. It is an all out celebreation similar to a sweet 16 or a bat mitzfah. The whole town and old family and friends are invited. speeches are given to honor the birthday person, and cake is handed out. It was such a kiwi experience!

The next day, we soaked up being lazy by the fire, eating a late brunch, and watching the Australian soap opera "Home and Away"-which i am completely addicted to now. its dangerous! We caught the bus back to welly around 4 and said goodbye to Ngaire's hometown. who knows, maybe we'll be back for a visit again?

hope all is well at home! cheers, shelly

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