The Masonic

AND they have wine!

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November 27th 2007
Greetings blog watchers: I boarded an Air New Zealand prop plane in chilly drizzle last night and landed in the sunny and warm Hawke's Bay region of the North Island. Once again, I feel like I've landed in the travellers' version of hog heaven. The small seaside town ringed by hills filled with homes that perch dramatically all the way up, was all but flattened in a 1931 earthquake. When it was r ... read more

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Hawkes Bay » Napier

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The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year... ... read more