Day 17 - Half day in Napier (27 December 2012)

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The Maori name is Taumatawhakatanghihangako-auauotamteaturipukapikimaunga-horonuku-pokaiwhenuakitanatahu. This is a Maori phrase recalling the mythical Tamatea (land eater) who serenaded his lover with a magical flute. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (a Welsh town - the longest place name in the English language) eat your heart out.

The original town was destroyed by an earthquake on 3 February 1931 and as a result of the quake it gained 10,000 acres of land from the debris thrown up from the sea. It was rebuilt in the Art Deco style.

We started our morning visiting the Aquarium. We passed on the lunchtime special as we were afraid it would be too fresh. The aquarium is used as a means of teaching about the environment and conservation of species. From there we wandered back into the town and spotted a Starbucks. Note for niece Katie - they need you here. We had to wait 15 mins for the coffee to be prepared!

Then we walked along the shops as Don lost his clip-on sunglasses on deck 3 a few days ago and they haven't been handed in. First store he tried he had success in getting a pair. He then bought a belt for his new trousers to prevent builder's cleavage :-}

We walked along Tennyson Street to the theatre. The whole street had beautiful Art Deco buildings, one of the most notable being the Daily Telegraph building. We found a cute little shop selling clothes à la 1920s. I bought a cloche hat.

Then it was time to board ship for our next cruise stop Tauranga, the port of entry to Rotorua.

This afternoon we went to a very interesting talk entitled "Extreme elements: New Zealand's Fire and Ice". This was all about earthquakes, volcanoes and glaciers. With thousands of earthquakes every year (mostly tiny) we won't be too disappointed if the earth doesn't move for us whilst visiting New Zealand.

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Photos

Penelope's Roaring '20s Fashions
Designer of Lesley's new hat, in her wonderful shop.

Comments

[Frannie]

Maori = happy linguistics teachers!
I remember after my NZ trip, I showed my Linguistics professor one of the Maori place names. She almost cried with happiness. Ditto to your Welsh comment - belatedly! :D