Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

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Hey everybody! We're currently in New Zealand but are gearing up for our last country on our tour - USA.

When we arrived in NZ, we flew into Auckland but it was a very brief stop and we'll be going back for our flight so we'll leave that until later. Next morning we headed off to sky city and caught a bus to Napier, the scenery was amazing just even passing through farm land and as we were used to far longer trips we sat back and relaxed, even falling asleep on the final leg as the three time zone jumps in 5 days started to catch up on us! Luckily we managed to wake up just before our stop and we were met by Kevin who took us back to their home in Havelock North (for those who are unacquainted, Kevin and Anne are long friends of Toe's mum and have three lovely children: Jude, Imogen and Benedict). We were met with a warm welcome and also our first home cooked meal in over three months, delicious New Zealand Lamb! We also got to try a local variant of the sweet potato called Kumara.

Next day, we had a long overdue lie-in but afterwards we up and ready to go out as Kevin and Anne were to show us some of the sights of Hawke's Bay. We were treated to a lovely lunch at a cafe near to one of the beaches, Toe had a rather impressive dish of Mussels (local we presume) whilst Natalie sampled some tasty Mushroom Pasta. When we did make it to the beach the weather had turned and it wasn't a very long stop! However it was nice to get out and see it and even with the water washing right up the edge of the stones you could tell how scenic it was. On the way back to the car Kevin, Toe, Nat and Jude took a quick go on the zip wire in the drizzle. We picked up Benedict from a friend's birthday party before checking out Napier itself. The town was largely destroyed by a large earthquake in 1931 and a number of signs document the changes to the reconstructed town. Art Deco was big and so whilst the buildings aren't much to behold standing alone, together they do have an effect and the result is quite picturesque. Nat picked up a much needed Hoody for extra insulation, lucky as all the shops ended up closing around 4:30pm.

Next day we were so full from another lovely meal - Mexican! So we ended up sleeping in again (this may have started a New Zealand pattern!) but once up and breakfasted we headed out again, this time to see the nearby Te Mata peak. The hills have their own legend based around a giant who, to win the hand of a Maori chieftains daughter, was set challenges. He failed at the final one - to eat his way through the hills. So if you look at the hills from a certain view (best out of Kevin and Anne's kitchen window) they do resemble a sleeping giant. The views from the top were spectacular and after a short stop at the top we headed for lunch at nearby Winery. Toe had a truly brilliant dish of Pork Belly with 'Blue Potato's' and some kind of breaded fennel whilst Nat had an equally good Pumpkin Ravioli! Whilst Anne and the children went to the Ocean Spa Pools in Napier Town, we stopped off a medium distance down the road and took a walk with Kevin before meeting up with the others when they were done. On the way we stopped for an ice cream and tried an ice cream called Hokey Pokey which contained Honeycomb.

Two days and an evening of home comfort was topped with some more pumpkin pasta (we were fed well!) however we aren't quite ready for home just yet and caught the morning bus to Taupo, a paltry 2 an 3/4 hr's. If you get a chance to read this, thanks again to Kevin, Anne and the kids for having us! Photos coming soon from Taupo and Rotorua -weird to think we have just the one more country to visit. Lots of love, Toe and Natalie. xx

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