Blogs from Hastings, Hawkes Bay, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 4

We drove the short (20km) drive this morning from Napier to Hastings to trace some of my deceased relatives. On a tip off from my Uncle Steve we managed to find the library in Hastings where a very helpful assistant pointed us in the right direction of where my relatives used to live. We found the death records on micro fiche for Lillian Ellen Hampton and John Rowe, but nothing for Daisy Rowe. We also managed to find information on the burial plots of Lillian and John in the genealogy internet archives at the library and found out they had headstones in Hastings too. We drove to a flower shop and purchased a couple of small bouquets for the graves and then made our way to the cemetery where we managed to find all three headstones ... read more

We did allude to the fact haven’t seen much arm candy, and the latest survey shows only 2% of kiwi women think they are beautiful! The other thing that is rare around here is recycling bins, the amount of stuff that could be recycled that intstead goes to landfill is astonishing. But try telling a kiwi that, the special UN reporter was ridiculed on breakfast tv for mentioning it. That is the sort of 40yr old feel you get here - we’re a beautifuly island and we don’t need change. As to the logging, well there are huge forests that are logged then replanted and then again there are scenes along the road that seem quite out of place (see photo) . We’ve moved from Rotorua to Napier, and along to Hastings. jb has driven over ... read more

Today was my last day apple packing, and thank goodness for that. I felt like I was losing the rest of my thin slice of sanity. Here are a couple of pictures of my time at Kelston Orchards. I have booked my ferry to take me and my van to the South Island. I catch it a week from Sunday, so I have some time to get down to Wellington and enjoy a couple more days there. I'm going to Napier tomorrow for some exploration time. Hopefully, there won't be any earthquakes!!! We have earthquakes every week here, mostly on a 5.0 type scale. I've never felt one personally, but there's always a first! Night everyone! ... read more

I've had a great time roaming around the Southern part of the North Island. I did the most amazing walk called the Tongariro Crossing (look it up if you get the chance!). Declared as the best one day walk in N.Z. It really was! I must say that it almost killed me though. There is one part that's called the Devil's Staircase, a very steep incline that takes an hour to do. Luckily I was tramping with a nice group of people from an organization called Trailblazers. I have some great pictures to show you all, but am not able to access the computer at the hostel I am staying at. I also then made my way down to Wellington. What a great city! So many free things to do, a great for me. I also ... read more

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 ... read more