Napier to Wellington

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On our way from Rotorua the clouds had caught up with us. I can't believe that we have arrived in the Pacific and they are experiencing the worst summer they have had for quite a few years. I was looking forward to an endless summer. Oh well! I have noticed also that the sun seems to be more intense here. Even if it is 20 degrees centigrade you still have to slap on the 30+, otherwise you do get burnt. Anyway, leaving Rotorua we decided to go East to Napier and see what so many have noted as the 'Art Deco' city of the South. Napier is also (I have been told) the sunniest place in New Zealand. I would love to say that but for the time when we were passing through it just rained and rained.
Napier does remind me of 'Back to the Future' in a way. It is a town that is caught up in the 1930's. Supposedly an earthquake hit and all buildings were either demolished or burned.
They rebuilt the town at a time when Art Deco was all the rage. I think many who live in and around the town are proud of this look and they have the cars to match. It really is bizarre. A firend of mine Neil Richards would love this place. Just so that could put his own 'Back to the Future' film montage together 😉

After Napier we continued to Hastings. Napier and Hastings are areas where most of the wine of New Zealand is produced. Hawkes Bay produces many types of wine. Charlotte and I thought we would go and try some of the wine by stopping of at a nearby cheese farm.
They produce mainly a soft brie type cheese and some creamy hard Gouda cheeses. I didn't think much of them to be honest. However Charlotte was impressed with the Brie.
Only meant as a light snack we certainly didn't eat anything else all day!!

We were told on good authority not to spend to much time around the North and to travel down to the South Island as quick as possible. We decided to cut short our tour of the North and rescheduled our ferry ticket to 2 days earlier. This meant that we had to get down to Wellington pronto. Luckily good weather was upon us. We wanted to do some windsurfing in Wellington but unfortunately there are no hire shops around the area. Supposedly in Christchurch you can hire equipment so we will have to wait.
Wellington, capital of New Zealand is a larger city than Auckland. It is quite English with the croquet lawns and cricket pitches. You can visit the botanical gardens and get a great view of the city on the red tram. We decided to take a break from all the walking around and touring so there isn't much to be said really. Do you really want to hear about laundry, food shopping and James's relentless search for shoes?
Wellington is actually a nicer place to live I think than Auckland. Reasons would be it's proximity to the South Island. Also, as it's known as 'Windy Welly' a great place to windsurf. (If you have your own gear that is!). I must apologise if the blogs have been small and not too interesting of late. Truth is we haven't done that much that warrants anything to write home about. We have been saving our money so we can get busy down south.
On our list is canyoning, white water rafting, possible bungee jump (world's largest) and also some sea kayaking!!!!

Watch this space 😊

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On quitte donc Taupo sour la pluie pour Napier sur la cote Est qui est la ville art-deco du pays. La pluie ne s'est pas arretee. Onse ballade vite fait dans la ville et faisont le plein de lecture. On trouve refuge dans un vignoble qui propose des plateaux fromages plutot allechant et bien copieusement servis. Le temps de secher notre tente sur le parking et on repart direction Wellington, la capitale. C'est egalement la que nous prenons le ferry pour l'ile Sud.

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