Napier Region

On Friday we left Ohope Beach heading for Napier. We decided to take the shorter inland road rather than the coastal drive which would have taken us over 8 hours and we fancied a change. The journey took us through fantastic mountainous and green scenery that reminded us of Scotland and Wales - but bigger!

We past Gisbourne and returned to the coastal drive down to Napier. We stopped for lunch at a place called Waipatiki Scenic Reserve, a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains - what more could you ask for. Once we arrived in Napier we did the usual (pitch, shop and laundry) before exploring the town. Napier is famous for it's Art Deco buildings due to most of the city being destroyed in an earthquake in 1931. We ventured up to Bluff Hill Lookout to view the coast and then wandered through the Botanical Gardens. Back at the campsite Mark went for a swim while Rach read her book. That evening we cooked at the camp kitchen, however, Mark's budget sausages weren't good so not a happy camper!

Day two (Saturday) in Napier was an action packed one! After a leisurely breakfast we headed south to go walking. On route we went through a small village where there was a lrage gathering of people - some in fancy dress. The village was celebrating Waitangi Day which took place on 6th Feb, 1840. It was when the British and the Maoris signed the Treaty of Waitangi to make NZ become a nominal Bristish Colony. They even performed the 'Haka' in good voice! We then continued our journey to a place called Te Mata Peak (400m) and walked across the small range to the summit and back around. The walk took about 2 hours and you could see for miles.

In the afternoon we headed to the coast where we spent the rest of the afternoon boarding (Rach had a little snooze on the beach first). We had some of our best waves so far and it was great fun! Driving back to the campsite we picked up some 'Award Winning' Pies from a little bakery in Havelock North. We spent our last evening in the campsite kitchen planning our next couple of days which will be in Taupo.

Sadly last night we didn't get much sleep due to noisy Kiwi Rowan Keating fans coming back late and drunk from his concert in Napier! We hated his music and now we hate his fans!

Love to all at home.

Mark & Rach. xxx