After a rather disturbed nights sleep, I was warm enough thanks to the extra blanket and the socks! However there was a huge party going on in Rotorua this was due to The Maori All Blacks winning their match against Fiji, in Rotorua! I didn’t mind the partying, I love a party 😍 What I did mind was having to listen to some complete knob standing beneath my window at 2.30am having a cigarette and trying to impress the 2 young girls with him, I have never had to listen to such a pile of self centred drivel in my life!
Today I am heading to Napier, the bus takes approx 5hrs and is going to be packed, with this in mind I arrived early and managed to get a pretty good seat. The bus is full of school kids heading back home or to their Boarding schools after the holidays, all of them traveling alone, which is unusual. The lad behind me was only 11, to be fair he did look about 17! In fact a lot of the boys looked quite old and some had full sleeve Maori tattoos. They were all dressed smartly in their uniforms and were very well behaved on the bus. I ended up with an older lady called Noleen sitting next to me, she was heading home to Palmerston North, she seemed pleasant enough, however, after nearly 5 hrs I wanted to slap her! She had a really whispery quiet voice and would start talking to me while turned away, the bus is pretty noisy, so after I’d said “pardon” for the 200087th time I thought she might get the hint and raise her voice, but no, she just kept whispering random bits of information at me, I missed the first sentence of everything she said and just had to try and figure out what she was going in about……🤯
Anyway the drive was fantastic, the bus travels to Lake Taupo then up through a huge mountain range, the views were stunning. There are lots of pine forests, pine is a huge export for NZ. There were also lots of sheep and cows, also huge exports.
I arrived in Napier in the afternoon. Napier is a beautiful town. It was rebuilt in the 1930’s after a devastating earthquake demolished most of the buildings. It was subsequently rebuilt in the Art Deco Style. My Hotel is in a gorgeous Art Deco building and is decorated accordingly, it’s fabulous. The town had held their Winter Art Deco Festival on the weekend I arrived and in the hotel that evening they had a final gathering and everyone was in costume! It was brilliant to see the clothes and the cars and the overall effort people had made.
I spent a lovely few hours people watching at the gorgeous bar whilst enjoying a cocktail or 2! The first was called ‘Art Deco’ and it was amazing, the whole drink is served within a round ice shell!! I then spent another view hours chatting to a lovely guy called David, he is from Brisbane but is working here in Napier at the port (something to do with fuel and logistics) So all in all a good start to my stay here. 😍
Today (Monday) I was due to be going on a Hawke’s Bay wine tour but sadly I received an email cancelling as I was the only customer!! Luckily they have booked me on a tour for tomorrow, when I won’t be a Billy No Mates! As the weather was great, warm and sunny I decided to go on a bike ride. There are lots of designated cycle ways around Napier which follow the coast, they are also pretty flat, which is a huge bonus!! I hired my bike for 4hrs and off I went! It was great fun cycling along with lots to see, the views are pretty nice! I also cycled past the port where I could see the pine waiting to be loaded on to container ships for export. All the wood made the area around the port smell lovely!
I managed to find a wonderful old Art Deco building near the water which is now an Urban Winery, which happened to have a Cellar Door Tasting! Result. The Winery specialises in Chardonnay, and some of them are aged in Cement Eggs…all new and very clever! My favourite was a wine called ‘Fat & Sassy’ 😍 I had a lovely chilled tasting all by myself then cycled a little further before stopping for a light lunch, chips and wine!! 😂 before heading back to town. All together I cycled around 18km.
Since arriving in Napier I have changed my plans a little. I was due to go back to Lake Taupo for 2 nights then onto Wellington, but having stopped in Lake Taupo on the way here and read up on it, I decided that without a car and not wanting to do any extreme sports etc it might not be the place for me. It would also make the bus journey to Wellington near on 7.5hrs, which is a bit long. So after much deliberation I changed everything, I managed to cancel my hotel booking without incurring a fee thanks to a begging email! And change my bus journeys on my App! Go me. I am now staying in Napier for an extra night and added a night in Wellington. I feel much happier with my new plan.
I am currently sitting in the hotel bar having another cocktail (no surprises there!) whilst writing this. Not a bad way to spend a Monday evening!
Have a great day guys. Kia Ora. X
The Internet is playing up! So I will publish photos later. X
Hereandthereclaire.com 
Sounds great Claire, New Zealand is a great place to explore (especially the wine!) 😃 Go you on the bike as well!! Xx
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My mate Dave found you ok then
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He did, thanks for sending him out!! 😘😍
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Sounds fab. Glad you feel much better about your plans. Napiet looks awesome and off course i love the art deco vibe. Im so happy your happy
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Definitely happier with my new itinerary! Xxx
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