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Published: January 8th 2014
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Tuesday December 31st, 2013. Mission Vineyard, Hawkes Bay & Napier to Lake Taupo, North Island, NZ
We checked out of the hostel and made our way to the Mission Vineyard which had been recommended to us by Ike and Mandy. This claims to be the oldest winery in NZ. With a climate similar to that of Bordeaux (Hawkes By is drenched in 2200 hours sunshine annually, Marist missionaries from France probably knew they were onto a winner when they planted the regions first wines here in 1851. Bet they didn't know that their simple aim of producing sacramental and table wines would end up being NZ's leading wine region.
It was an easy ten minute drive from the hostel to Hawkes Bay. They offered tours giving you a history of the building and the wine making tradition here. The next one was a way off so we opted for the self guided walk around.
The Mission community moved its present site in 1909 the Mission building was cut into eleven sections and rolled on logs and pulled by traction engines(the journey took two days) where it was reconstructed. The old site became the community Parish and this site
became the centre of wine making activities and the Seminary for training Marist Priests.
The English Plane Trees were planted in the driveway in 1911 and create an impressive first impression. In 1930 work started on a new three-story concrete accommodation block. On 2nd February 1931, the students moved into the new building. The next morning 3rd February 1931 at 10h47am, an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale struck Hawke's Bay causing serious damage to the entire Mission. Two priests and seven students who were meditating in the stone chapel were killed when it hit. The new accommodation block was fractured and partly collapsed. The students moved elsewhere temporarily, but in February 1932, they returned and set to work to restore the grounds. A wooden Chapel was built and still exists today, and by 1935 there were 80 students in residence. Since 1991, all seminary students have moved and are now in residence in Auckland.
In the garden there was a fountain and the rear terrace looked out over the vines. It was a beautiful day and it all looked stunning. The restaurant was beautiful and they were laying the tables for lunch. After we had finished
walking around we went for a tasting. We tasted various red and white wines and came away with a couple of bottles including a bottle of fizz - as it was New Years Eve (any excuse!).
We arrived at Lake Taupo and checked in to the hostel. It was extremely busy and our room was tiny. So small, in fact, that we left our suitcases in the car and just brought a change of clothes and our washbags inside. People from this town would be right in boasting that it comes in handy when a volcanic eruption blows a whopping 660 sq km hole in the earth and a lake forms (the biggest lake in Nz in fact) - it is now the perfect water playground. We are planning to learn and see more of the volcanic and geothermal might of this region on our way north to Rotorua tomorrow. Today we are going to relax and enjoy the lake.
We found out where the supermarket was and went and did some shopping. This was our first experience of a Pak n Save. This was like a huge Macro type affair where everything was sold in huge quantities.
You had to have a trundler as there were no baskets. We made the mistake of going in trundlerless and then couldn't get out again. Luckily M found and abandoned one which we half inched. We didn't like it much but managed to find a few 2 person sized packets of stuff. We took the food back to the YH and then strolled down into the town centre where we purchased some lunch. M had a potato top pie (like a cottage pie with a pastry base) and D had a mini mince (beef) pie and a mini cheese and something.
We returned to the hostel and M had a rest. D went for a walk along the lake. M woke around 8 pm and we had a nice dinner while we sat around and waited for the fireworks and drank some vino. At 10.00 the fireworks started. D rushed off down to the lake to see. M realised it was too early so stayed put. Turns out it was a cut down display for the benefit of the children who need to be in bed earlier than us grown ups. The fireworks went off at midnight and it
was quite a show. As with the dolphins and the blue penguins, the camera was unable to take any decent shots.
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