Blogs from Napier, East Coast, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania

Forgot to say about Cape Kidnappers, in Maori legend the Cape itself was the hook with which Maui pulled the North Island from the sea. So it got its name in 1769 from the famous explorer Captain James Cook, when local Maori attempted to kidnap a young Tahitian boy from his ship the Endeavour. Thought I would give you all some Maori legends !!... read more

Geo: -39.4917, 176.916Hamilton and Napier 13th - 26th FebruaryI forgot to mention that when we first arrived in NZ I downloaded the GeoNet App. It is an App which sends an alert when there is an earthquake in or around New Zealand. That night I was awoken every couple of hours by a bleep from my iPad, as each earthquake was recorded. I had no idea that earthquakes are so frequent here! They are constant and even on a higher level setting (ignoring the 2 weakest levels of quake) they occur every 2 to 3 hours. I did not make the same mistake again and switched it off between 11pm and 7am for the rest of our stay.The Hamilton Arts Festival was very enjoyable. It burst open with the Soweto Gospel Choir which filled the stage ... read more

Geo: -39.4917, 176.916In February 1931 Napier was flattened by a huge earthquake that went on for over 2 minutes, a loing time for an earthquake it seems. Buildings not destroyed by that stood a good chance of being consumed by the fire that followed, firemen got the engines out of the damaged fire station but the water pipes had been fractured.The rebuilding process was highly organised and the decision only to allow reinforced concrete suited the in-mode buiklding style of the day, Art DEco. So trhe who town is a riot of Art DEco style, with some Spanish Mission, and the preservation society does a great job helping to ensure it stays looking right and organising tours and a huge Art Deco weekend once a year on the anniversary of the quake.We stayed in one of ... read more

Sorry been a while since i've been on here. Been on a bit of a road trip. Having left Auckland, i made my way to Mount Maunganui. I stayed there longer than i should. The weather was so nice and the beaches there were amazing! Really nice little cafes, and great walks as well. After that i was in Gisborne. The town it's self was not that impressive, but it had some nice shops, and some great beaches. Again some really good walks. The town is the first place where Captain Cook landed. They seem to be very proud of this fact as there's loads of statues. I've just arrived in Napier now, so i'll probably stay a few days here. ... read more

DATE VISITED: 30TH DECEMBER 07 It took a good few hours to get from Rotorua to our first stop at the East Cape which was on the East Coast around the corner. The hostel was right by the sea and our pitch was in their garden along with a few other tents. Some other travellers were here and we shared a few beers chatting and exchanging tips that night.. The host was really relaxed and made us feel real welcome. We loved the outdoor kitchen where making my vegetarian curry was a treat with a sea view and accompanying breeze! The outdoor shower was refreshing too! The journey to here was long but worth it for the coastal views and quite hilly and rugged hill terraine (the forested mountains in the distance were pretty too!). The ... read more