Art Deco in Napier
This morning we checked out and popped into a bakery around the
corner from our hotel to grab a quick pastry for our last wander about the city
center before heading out to an afternoon at the coast in Napier. We stopped into a few tourists shops and
walked up the main street before jumping in the car and striking out. I will admit a mild miscalculation on my
part, but with the GPS properly calibrated we were soon off in the right
direction – out along the lakefront. We
passed a petrol station on the way out of town, and I contemplated stopping,
but figured there would be a few more along the way before we got to the middle
of nowhere. After three or four kilometers
we had left civilization, and a kind little sign happened to mention there
would be no petrol for 160km. I pulled a
u-turn on the deserted two-lane road and headed back to the last station we had
seen. Along the way we talked about how
pointless putting the sign five kilometers AFTER the last station was. After getting the tank to an acceptable
level, we headed back out on the open road.
Little did we know, we were in store for the views which I had dreamed of as quintessential New Zealand. Along the way there were dramatic mountains and valleys which appeared out of nowhere along a road which twisted and turned, teetering on the edge of tall cliffs. We chose a random scenic lookout to pull off at, and somehow missed the sign above the arrow mentioning what we were going to see. It was a bit of a drive up a twisting hill, but finally we made it to the lookout and couldn’t believe it – a massive waterfall in the valley below, dropping tens of stories onto rocks and off into a stream. It was what I had come to New Zealand for.
The trip took a bit over two hours, and by early afternoon we were in Napier. We picked up a bit of information at the Visitor Centre on the main street which fronts the Pacific. The main draw of Napier was that it is in the heart of Hawkes Bay, a vineyard region known for fantastic wineries. In the Visitor Centre while perusing the obscene amount of wineries to choose from, Tiffany saw a brochure about a cidery in the area. Being a massive sucker for cider since my Europe wanderings last year, and always keen to try whatever I find as it seems difficult to get good stuff in the US, we immediately decided that the cidery, which touted a restaurant, would be our first stop. We drove south along the coast and then turned inland before the next town along the water, Hastings, and found the cidery; while the orchards were nothing to look at, the Oriental salad which chicken that I had was divine, and the taster of six ciders (including a ginger cider) which Tiffany and I shared was delicious.
Continuing our culinary forays, we headed further south to Hastings to a strawberry farm. While we missed picking season, Tiffany got some fresh made strawberry ice cream, and I got a few pictures of the strawberry fields. We returned to Napier and checked in at our hostel, in an old Victorian house on the main street (Marine Parade) overlooking the Pacific coast. The lady running the hostel recommended we go to the National Aquarium (right down the street) as they have kiwis – the national icon, bird, and namesake of New Zealand. While the admission was a bit steep, and the aquarium itself didn’t much compare to the Atlanta Aquarium (or even the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga), it was worth it to see a living, breathing kiwi.
From the museum we wandered through the some of the main streets of downtown. The city is a time capsule of the 1930s, having been destroyed by an earthquake and resulting fire in 1931. Within a few years, the entire downtown was rebuilt as an Art Deco wonderland, and much of that remains today. The lady from our hostel lent us a guide, and I went to town reading about the history of the buildings and exploring while Tiffany did a bit of shopping. We ended our time out by walking along the black sand (well, mostly stone) beach, before returning to our hostel. We relaxed for a bit in the common room, caught up on the news and such, before venturing back out in the dark to grab some dinner. We walked down Hastings Street and came across a Turkish restaurant, which did not disappoint with a massive, massive plate of spicy minced lamb and beef with all of the components to create a wrap. In the ephemeral words of that ad dad always quotes – “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” We rolled back to our hostel, fat and happy.
Something interesting came on the news that I did not know – New Zealand implemented a nuclear ban some years back, and after much wrangling, they no longer allow the US to bring nuclear powered ships to the country.
Little did we know, we were in store for the views which I had dreamed of as quintessential New Zealand. Along the way there were dramatic mountains and valleys which appeared out of nowhere along a road which twisted and turned, teetering on the edge of tall cliffs. We chose a random scenic lookout to pull off at, and somehow missed the sign above the arrow mentioning what we were going to see. It was a bit of a drive up a twisting hill, but finally we made it to the lookout and couldn’t believe it – a massive waterfall in the valley below, dropping tens of stories onto rocks and off into a stream. It was what I had come to New Zealand for.
The trip took a bit over two hours, and by early afternoon we were in Napier. We picked up a bit of information at the Visitor Centre on the main street which fronts the Pacific. The main draw of Napier was that it is in the heart of Hawkes Bay, a vineyard region known for fantastic wineries. In the Visitor Centre while perusing the obscene amount of wineries to choose from, Tiffany saw a brochure about a cidery in the area. Being a massive sucker for cider since my Europe wanderings last year, and always keen to try whatever I find as it seems difficult to get good stuff in the US, we immediately decided that the cidery, which touted a restaurant, would be our first stop. We drove south along the coast and then turned inland before the next town along the water, Hastings, and found the cidery; while the orchards were nothing to look at, the Oriental salad which chicken that I had was divine, and the taster of six ciders (including a ginger cider) which Tiffany and I shared was delicious.
Continuing our culinary forays, we headed further south to Hastings to a strawberry farm. While we missed picking season, Tiffany got some fresh made strawberry ice cream, and I got a few pictures of the strawberry fields. We returned to Napier and checked in at our hostel, in an old Victorian house on the main street (Marine Parade) overlooking the Pacific coast. The lady running the hostel recommended we go to the National Aquarium (right down the street) as they have kiwis – the national icon, bird, and namesake of New Zealand. While the admission was a bit steep, and the aquarium itself didn’t much compare to the Atlanta Aquarium (or even the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga), it was worth it to see a living, breathing kiwi.
From the museum we wandered through the some of the main streets of downtown. The city is a time capsule of the 1930s, having been destroyed by an earthquake and resulting fire in 1931. Within a few years, the entire downtown was rebuilt as an Art Deco wonderland, and much of that remains today. The lady from our hostel lent us a guide, and I went to town reading about the history of the buildings and exploring while Tiffany did a bit of shopping. We ended our time out by walking along the black sand (well, mostly stone) beach, before returning to our hostel. We relaxed for a bit in the common room, caught up on the news and such, before venturing back out in the dark to grab some dinner. We walked down Hastings Street and came across a Turkish restaurant, which did not disappoint with a massive, massive plate of spicy minced lamb and beef with all of the components to create a wrap. In the ephemeral words of that ad dad always quotes – “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” We rolled back to our hostel, fat and happy.
Something interesting came on the news that I did not know – New Zealand implemented a nuclear ban some years back, and after much wrangling, they no longer allow the US to bring nuclear powered ships to the country.
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