Napier Weekend

---

I've been a little distracted and busy lately and I've fallen way behind on the blog. Oops. I feel like pregnancy is a good excuse, though. I feel like it can be a good excuse for anything. Before I was just in LAHLAH land when I was forgetful, now I can blame pregnancy brain. Haha, and you better believe I play that card! Baby is due to come in early December so I have six more months to use the excuse. It hasn't been an easy road to get to this point, but we've had a couple ultrasounds and everything is looking good so we're very happy! Baby has been stubborn with its positioning to get all the measurements, it took three ultrasounds just to get all the measurements we needed! I'll let you decide who the baby takes after 😉

Anyway, Baby is the biggest thing going on in our lives right now, but we're making sure to still get out and continue our adventures. Last weekend was another three day weekend to celebrate the Queen's Birthday. Thanks Queen; Long Live the Queen! We decided to go check out the Napier area. We thought about going there twice before, but changed our plans so it was nice to finally make it there. It's a coastal town on the Eastern side and it's well known for it's wineries. Of course we finally make it there when I'm pregnant so I couldn't indulge, bad timing! We found other things to keep busy with. The weather was nice and sunny which was a welcome change after three weeks of pretty constant rain. It was chilly at night, but got pretty warm during the day. We arrived Saturday afternoon and checked into a really nice hotel overlooking the Pacific Ocean-the Crown Hotel. After checking in we went for a nice walk along the water and headed to Burger Wisconsin for dinner. It's a chain restaurant, but there are only like 5 franchises and one was in Napier so we of course had to check it out. Unfortunately it didn't really live up to its name. I mean, it's a pretty big name to live up to. The Napier location was pretty old/outdated and the space wasn't very efficiently used. There was a counter to sit at or a counter along a wall, so like 10 seats maximum. We decided to sit at the counter, but the employees didn't interact at all. I mean, I'm glad they were focused on cooking, but I feel in that situation there would typically be more interaction with the customers. The food itself was pretty good, but has a lot of similar options to Burger Fuel which has a much newer looking and fun atmosphere. The franchise is for sale in Napier, so if anyone wants to become a business owner in NZ, this could be your chance. Bring the WI spirit, even though the restaurant has no connection to WI at all. It said on their bag that the hamburger was invented in WI, but NZ loves burgers. So overall it was disappointing, but alright.

The next day we had a great breakfast at Milk and Honey at our hotel and I indulged in a pumpkin waffle. It was delicious! Paul and I then went to play Foot Golf to burn off some of our breakfast...and break our legs. Foot Golf is an 18 hole golf course, but the distances are shorter between the tee and the hole. You use a soccer ball and your leg instead of a golf ball and club. I was surprised how sore I got, but to be fair I don't know the last time I kicked a soccer ball and then we played 18 holes which require the ball to be kicked hard multiple times per hole. I should have warmed up and stretched or something. The pain was worth it, though, because it was really fun. I guess there are courses around the world, so I'd recommend finding one and giving it a try. I lost, but we both won because it was fun. Corny, or is that just what losers say? oh well!

After foot golf we drove down to see the nearby towns of Hastings and Havelock North. The whole Hawke's Bay area is known as an Art Deco area because a massive earthquake struck the area in 1931. It is NZ's deadliest natural disaster. So the town was rebuilt and it was around the time of the Art Deco period so some of the buildings have been maintained and there are different outdoor art sculptures. We went into a free Art Gallery and checked it out. If you saw the picture Paul posted on facebook you'll understand it when I say it's interesting what people consider to be art. haha. The rest of Hastings was more of a regular NZ town so we just walked around the main streets. Havelock North appeared to be a more affluent town and had some nicer shops, but it was still mostly just a residential town and not a lot of sites. We headed back to Napier to try and find some dinner. There are quite a few restaurants in the surrounding area with the wineries, too, but we had a tough time deciding where to eat. We decided on Emporium and I'm glad we did. It was a nice restaurant with a warm feel and nice decorating. The food was good as well.

The next morning, Monday, we celebrated our last day with an early Birthday gift to Paul. We went to the National Aquarium in Napier and we did the Little Penguin experience. The Aquarium itself isn't that big, but the exhibits they have are nice. The Penguin experience was so neat, though. Little Penguins are native to NZ and they're the smallest species of penguins. They have a bluish hue to their feathers on the head and back. The penguins in the exhibit are there because they're not safe to be in the wild because of injuries from entanglement or other sea birds. So some had partial vision, or a missing eye, or a missing wing, but they're treated and cared for well at the Aquarium. Paul and I were the only ones signed up for the experience so we met with a penguin caretaker/zookeeper (not really sure of her title) and she took us into the back room to see where the penguins are evaluated and treated and where their food is prepared. She then took us into the Penguin exhibit and called for "Dora," a penguin that was I think abandoned as a baby so she was hand raised and loves humans. She actually prefers to be with humans than penguins, so she is always swimming by the glass edges of the tank when there are people at the exhibit. Dora was then taken out of the exhibit and placed down on the ground on the hallway in the back so we could go to a room and learn how to feed the penguins and pet her. Dora was so cute because the caretaker was ahead of us and I was being careful not to step on Dora because Little Penguins are only like one foot tall. Dora kept looking at Paul and me, though, to make sure we were following and going the right way. It was so cute! We then got to pet her and feed her some sardines. We then went back to the exhibit with the bucket of sardines and sat on a log. As soon as we sat down, all the penguins came waddling out of the water and surrounded us to get fed. Another caretaker was with us and was counting how many fish each penguin got. I'm glad she was there telling us who to feed, because I couldn't keep them all straight! It was funny to see the different personalities of the penguins and we probably ended up in a ton of people's pictures because there were a lot of spectators coming to see the penguins eat. I think it was one of Paul's favorite Birthday gifts! Then we ate lunch and headed back home. It is like a 3.5 hour drive so we were exhausted when we returned. If I take people there, I think we'd spend a night in Taupo before and/or after to break up the drive because it's only like 1.5 hours from Taupo to Napier. Granted there is nothing in between the two towns. In fact there is a sign that says it's 130 km between gas stations. The road wasn't too windy thankfully.

This week we've been busy just getting back into the work routine and cleaning up our house. We moved to a new house right before I left for the USA because the apartment we were renting was put on the market and sold so we had to find a new place to live. It actually worked out really well, though, because the house we found is recently renovated and updated. It's smaller so there is less unused space to clean. The downside is there is less room for storage of some things, though, so we have been working on trying to organize everything. We don't actually have that much stuff, but it sure adds up quickly! The house is really nice, though. It's a much better place to raise a baby. Other than that, we're just staying busy and cold because it's Winter here now, but we're looking forward to our upcoming guests! Kitty will be adventuring here in August and Noel will be here in October. Then my parents and grandparents and sister are thinking about visiting in February to see NZ and the new baby. Paul and I are planning another trip home, this time together, in September and then we're planning on moving back next year in late Spring/early Summer. Needless to say I think this year will fly by!

---

Photos

Front room of our House
Family room looking out to the Front Yard

Kitchen
Nice stainless steel gas oven/stove!

View of backyard
View of backyard through the door in the kitchen.

Waterfall
We decided to stop at a Scenic Overlook on our way to Napier and were surprised to see this waterfall. It was a beautiful drive from Taupo to Napier and we were blessed with clear blue skies for our drive.

Burger Wisconsin
Their story

Sheep statues
Of course there will be sheep statues as art in NZ!

Laura and Paul
Just enjoying the sunset from Perfume Point

Our Breakfast
Paul and I decided that since we saw the sunset in Napier, we should probably see the sunrise over the Ocean. We woke up early on Monday to see it and brought some snacks for a breakfast. We're sitting in the car (because it was too cold outside) eating our crackers and cheese and apricot jam. Yeah we're fancy, haha.

Sunrise picture 3
There were clouds on the horizon so it took a little longer to see the sun, but this picture shows the red clouds from the sun behind them.

Picture from Bluff Hill Lookout in Napier
We drove up to the Lookout after the sunrise to catch it starting to shine on the surrounding areas. This picture actually shows Mount Ruapehu which appears close, but it's really not, it's just a huge mountain. You can see the snow on the top which is pretty much present year round.

View out over the Port of Napier and the Pacific Ocean
There is a large port on the corner point of Napier so you can see the top of some cranes that are used at the port.