Sunny Napier, home to Rush Munroes ice cream (yum) and home of the world famous Hawkes Bay wineries (double yum). After being destroyed by an earthquake in the
1920s, the whole of Napier was rebuilt in the Art Deco style so it's now like a working museum of the period. The National Aquarium kept us occupied for about 15 minutes (ooo look, a terrapin....ooo look a cod) so there was nothing for it but to hire a couple of bikes and get lashed! The wineries over here are most generous in their offer of FREE wine tastings, and who are we to refuse such hospitality? Being on our bikes meant there was no way of carrying any of the highly priced wine being touted at every stop...a brilliant ruse thought up by Mr. Best (of Yorkshire).
A good nights sleep (read: coma) and a couple of paracetemol and we were ready for Wellington the next day. A super-cool city with a lively vibe and full of great bars and restaurants. A 'thrilling' ride on the cable car follwed by a stroll through the botanic gardens, and we were ready for lunch. A walk around the hip second hand clothes shops, and we were ready for coffee and cake. A browse around the excellent and beautifully designed Te Papa Museum documenting the history of New Zealand, and we were ready for pre-dinner drinks. You get the idea. But you can't blame us - New Zealand is a country where everything shuts by 8pm so to find a city with proper bars and NIGHT buses was something of a revelation!
1 comment:
Okay I'm getting REALLY jealous now. I can't stand it any more!! Have a heart and think up some really awful things to write about! (Please don't, I'm loving my fave blog, WW's, and it transports me to dreamy places away from my own humdrummerry; broken boiler, sleepless nights, dry skin from winter wind and central heating, beans on toast with Arthur on a Tuesday night etc...) LOVE from E-J xx
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