Hwy #5 to Napier

Another beautiful drive through unusual terrain. The inland mountain range is quite different in shape to others we've seen in the north and it seems there is a lot more logging being done here.

Arrived in Napier by noon and had some difficulty finding the campsite. Most towns and cities are fairly easy to drive however this one was not...at least for these two wrinklies. A few curse words from both of us...then we remembered to "breathe into it" as in yoga (always our giggle to bring us out of a suck attack) and looked at it as a sight-seeing tour and adventure.

Napier suffered an earthquake in early 1930's, killing 260 people and in the end, giving the town 48 square km more city than they had prior. This created a town that has towering hills in the centre with houses built on them. Very beautiful however it begs the question "why does anyone build a house high on a hill in a volcanic and earthquake zone?". Kind of like building your house on a cliff on the San Andreas fault! Does it make sense? Oh well, at least you'll probably be happy dying in a spectacular way in what was once a beautiful town.

Since Napier was rebuilt in the 1930's, it is also known for it's art deco architecture, rivalling Miami (but without the neon) for #1 in the world. The buildings are fabulous and because there are stands of palm trees everywhere and Napier is right on the ocean, it is probably the most beautiful city we've visited in N.Z.

We spent the afternoon on a wine tour (I know, you are ALL surprised at that!) and visited around four of a possible 30. Bob was too loaded to drive after that (just joking!) so we took our loot and returned to the camp. We found the prices much higher than at Villa Maria and believe it or not, in the supermarkets, however we did buy a few good bottles.

The campground here was fabulous and we are now beginning to recognize other visitors we've seen at other camps. We assume we are all heading to South Island!

Very sunny and warm and a great day to leave for Wellington.

Love,
Sharon