NAPIER - NEW ZEALAND

 We have been at sea for a few days now enroute to Sydney in Australia!  Before we arrive tomorrow, I need to share our wonderful adventures in Napier, New Zealand!  What a wonderful city!  We had one of our best days while visiting there.

“The second-largest wine growing region in New Zealand, the Hawke’s Bay Area boasts more than 70 vineyards.  The first ones were introduced by French missionaries in the mid-19th century.  This scenic bay area is also home to Napier, an impressive cityscape of art deco architecture often compared to Miami Beach for its artsy splendor.  Built after much of the city was destroyed during a 1931 earthquake, the stunning “main street” design and art deco flair combine to create a city unlike any other in the world.  The National Aquarium, one of the finest in New Zealand, can be found in Napier.  The city also holds claim as the largest wool center in the Southern Hemisphere.”

(Photo - for those who have seen my photos in the past know that I have a fondness for doors, especially with the #7 address.  This was snapped quickly from the train. Not #7, but I thought WINE STREET was funny!)

Before we took our excursion which was a scenic train ride through Napier, Mark and I took a shuttle from the pier and walked around the downtown area of Napier.  We enjoyed the bay views and the beautiful Art Deco architecture often compared the buildings.  We shopped for items of wool, but none of the shops that we passed seemed to carry any.  We must have been in the wrong area for that or in the wrong season!  After all- it is summertime here in New Zealand!  No wool, but what we did find was some beautiful vintage cars on display.  The owners were also in vintage attire.  It made us smile!

(view of the Main Street)

(High Five)

(I also enjoy photographing alleys.  Love the murals on both sides of this one.)

(Beautiful Architecture)

After our walk down town we joined up with the train for our excursion.  The train took us back to the area we had just walked plus much more.  It was a narrated tour so we learned a lot about the area.

We found out that earthquakes are a way of life and happen almost daily.  Small ones, though.  The big one happened in 1931.  When that happened the whole town was destroyed but a new land mass appeared at the former shoreline.  This gave the town much more land to rebuild on.  And rebuild they did!  The new town was rebuilt quickly - in just two years.  Our tour guide said that earthquake was almost a blessing because not only did they get more land, but they were also able to built an infrastructure to keep the town current.  There are tunnels below the town that contain the entire electrical system.  Because this is so well done, when they decided to add internet service to the businesses in town, it only took two days to complete the job.

We were so impressed with the beauty of the town, and also the friendliness of the residents.  We received many waves and smiles as we went by in our train.  (By the way, this wasn’t a real train.  It was a train replica with tires and drove on the streets!). 

When we got back to the ship, there was a nostalgic band playing and lots of vintage cars on display!  

NICE TOUCH- NICE DAY!