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Published: March 1st 2019
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Up first thing then short walk to the ferry and the trip from South Island to North Island. Unfortunately it was a little bumpy and the weather wet so not the most pleasant of journeys. In Wellington we picked up the hire car & drove straight up to Napier, the Art Deco capital of the world, or so we are told.
You may or may not recall that we met up with Linda in Kampot in Cambodia earlier in our trip and got on famously. Once she knew we were heading to Napier she said we should aim for the annual Art Deco festival weekend & we could stay with her husband Dave who would be there. This meant a slightly shorter stay on the South Island & more time to visit north of Auckland on the North Island. In the meantime Dave sold the house and was living with friends, so Linda arranged for us to stay with her sister Janet, husband Craig and their son Jack.
They couldn’t have been more welcoming making sure we were fed and then sending us out into the town ‘properly dressed for the occasion’. Apparently if you went into Napier
this particular Saturday and weren’t dressed in a 1930’s style you would be out of place!
So I borrowed a waistcoat, braces and flat cap from Craig and Sue borrowed a black dress, pearls, headband with feathers and shoes. We didn’t look like a pair but we were ready. And when we got down there we were very pleased to be in the right garb - almost everyone had made the effort and I have never seen so many gleaming vintage cars (mainly America) parked up along the streets. Those along with the buildings & what people were wearing, we were transported to the 1930’s.
We met up with Dave and his daughter Ana & friends and wandered the streets with them for a while. Later we watched the NZ navy band perform in the ‘Shell’ where I also spoke a young lad who lives a mile away from where I grew up in Ashmore Park - coincidence eh!
Next day we got up late, before heading into town meet up with Ana & see Napier in the daylight.
Napier is a fantastic Art Deco town that was rebuilt after the earthquake in 1931
which means a large proportion of the towns buildings are Art Deco style and almost all from a similar era (1933-36).
As we came into town there was an air display of vintage aircraft going on but I managed to miss a few as I was getting a badly needed haircut. However once out I caught up with Sue and we managed to sit in the back of a vintage car and get taken on a tour of the town - great stuff.
Then back to Janet’s for a BBQ where we also met Judy, Janet and Linda’s mother, who we found out represented NZ at Croquet in the world championships in Egypt - a star in our midst.
Next day Sue went into town to do the Art Deco walking tour and I hung the washing out while waiting for a package from fedex - our Japan Rail tickets were scheduled to arrive, you guessed it they didn’t! Minor panic and major discussion with fedex later where no one knew where the package was we went out with Craig and Dave to the local vineyard ‘Churches’ before meeting up with Janet & Jack and heading out
for supper at the port.
A quick trip into town the following morning after a few more calls with fedex and we went into the Napier museum which covered the period of the earthquake really well including a number of ‘talking head’ films from survivors intercut with photographs and films of that time - very moving.
Eventually we got the call from fedex and we arranged to pick up the package rather than rely on delivery. Once done back to Craig’s to say goodbye and thank them for looking after us for the weekend.
Driving north we stopped at Lake Taupo on our way to Blue Lake where we were staying just outside Rotorua. Recommended by Anna’s friend Fran’ Mum & Dad. I managed to run round the Blue Lake followed by a swim once while we were there.
We had heard about Lady Knox geyser at Wai-O-Tapu so went there the next morning to see the geyser eruption ( bit fake as they stimulated it to make it erupt at 10.15 every morning). Once erupted we then took a 3 hour walk around the sulphur pools, the views were almost alien. The different colours and
landscapes were fantastic and well worth the visit - better than the geyser.
Having seen mud on our travels we visited the Hells Gate mud bath and spa. The Mud Bath was a bit odd but enjoyable, after 20 minutes were we told to go to the sulphur spa where we stayed for a good while (and the smell stayed on my body for a few days). A fun experience and well worth doing ONCE.
Later that evening we enjoyed a ‘traditional Maori’ evening being shown various skills and dances before dinner cooked in the ground. Scarily we ended up sitting across from a couple from Shalford. Sue had a much more interesting conversation with a man from the US!
Heading north we visited Marthas minefield where gold has been mined for years. What I didn’t know was that it takes over 90 tonnes of ore to deliver 2 teaspoons of gold & 20 of silver - astonishing!
On towards Russell in the Bay of Islands but we were stopped on the way near Whangarei by a massive car fire which was starting to develop into a potential bush fire. Fortunately as we slowly moved beyond
it a fire engine was arriving to manage the situation.
We carried on and stopped only to see the Hundertwasser toilets in Kawakawa near Whangerai. We had seen the Hundertwasser building and toilets in Vienna years ago and it was fascinating and surprising to see something similar by the same artist on the other side of the world. He made NZ his home & died over here.
The Bay of Islands is a beautiful part of NZ and one which grows on you the longer you stay there.
Our first full day there involved us heading across the bay to Paihia where we spent the afternoon admiring the views from the golf course!
We came back on the ferry and went into a shop in Russell when Sue got a tap on the shoulder by the parents of Anna’s friend Bridie, Sheila and Adrian.
After a round of wows and ‘its a small world’ we decided a drink was called for and then agreed to meet up later at our place for dinner - a fun night! Scarily we had been speaking with Anna that morning and she mentioned they were coming to NZ but we didn’t know
when.
Next day they were heading north and we were heading across the bay to Urupukapuka Island where we spent the day walking and stopping occasionally to simply collapse in the sun, marvelling at the scenery all around us, a beautiful island. On the ferry across we were greeted by a school of dolphins and treated to them soaring out of the water as we traversed the bay.
On our final night in Russell we decided to eat out at the Gable restaurant which apparently is the oldest in NZ, good food & a wonderful setting.
Then a 4 hour drive to our final stop in NZ - an Airbnb in Bayswater. In the evening we caught the ferry across to Auckland and the Cunard ship Queen Elizabeth was in - looking pretty impressive. An early night - tomorrow Fiji.
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Stylish...
Looks like you had fun.