From Rotorua to Napier

Its the evening of Thurs 4th and more culture with an excellent Maori traditional meal cooked in the ground (hangi) with show and then a walk through the forest to see the kiwis (hiding in the bushes not like the big Kiwis kicking rugby balls everywhere). Friday - more Maori culture but this time to see carving and weaving schools and geysers etc. Weather wonderful! Saturday almost cultured out but a visit to Wai-O-Tapu (see picture and try to spot Linda) on the road to Taupo was stunning with the geyser, mud pools and many coloured landscape. Then a quick stop at Haku Falls (see picture) to see the georgeous blue waterfall – would love to have had the time to go upstream in a jet boat but onward to Taupo – a lake that thinks its a sea its so big. We had a lovely visit with Nicola, Steve and Taz and we all went out for dinner. So weird to think we haven’t see them for more than 10 years. Great to hear their interpretation of life in NZ and meet their gorgeous daughter.
From Taupo to Napier we drove over the mountain plateau on a road that was closed by mud slides only a week ago (and is the longest road in NZ between petrol stations which we only discovered once we were on it! A little warning would have been good but we were ok just breathing fast by the time we reached the gas station.) As we are not staying here very long we have had to work hard at the tourist bit so checked into a motel (fawlty towers by the sea/don’t ask) and set off to Cape Kidnappers for a tractor (yes tractor) ride 9 km along the beach at low tide (see picture) to climb a very high cliff to see (and smell - just like a chicken farm) a gannet colony (see picture). Great experience if a little damp around the toes when we got stuck in the soft sand and it was everybody off while the driver did his drag racing exhibition to pull the trailer clear. Back in town by 9 pm, hungry and a little cold only to discover this town closes early!! Eventually found an excellent Asian restaurant which stayed open extra late – till 9.30pm!
Have you heard the one about the Maori chief, taken to the UK to be shown off in 1851; he was taken to St Andrews and shown this crazy game of golf? He loved it, played it well and came home and built a beautiful golf course at Napier.
Well, its 5pm on Monday, and we have discovered Napier is a magical town – rebuilt after an earthquake in 1931 in the art deco style. Natalie would love it here – all the buildings and some of the guides are exactly as they would have been in 1930/1940. To finish off the Hawkes Bay experience we realised we needed to have some NZ wine so we have been on a wine tour. David is recovering in the spa pool in our room!! (no pictures)