My parents visited NZ years ago and really enjoyed their time in Napier, a coastal city on the North Island. We were debating which route to take as we continued southbound on the North Island. When we finally decided to stay on the Eastern coast, Napier and the surrounding area was a no-brainer. With a bit more research on the Hawke's Bay area under our belt, we were excited to include wine tasting, Te Mata Peak hiking and Cape Kidnapper's gannet colonies.
Home Base Home Run
As we often do, we opted to stay a bit outside of the main drags. We found a darling cottage in a more rural area outside Havelock North. The location was central to all the things we wanted to do in the area. The cottage was impeccably clean, meticulous in its layout and amenities, and had gorgeous views of surrounding farmland and sheep. We spent most of our time taking it all in from the front porch. So peaceful and beautiful. We've really come to appreciate & enjoy more rural settings with stunner views! Doug was especially pumped because they had a BBQ. Delicious, peaceful meals enjoyed by all.
The evening sunsets were a sight to see.
Yogi Master Sadie
Sadie was inspired by the beautiful surroundings and busted out some mean yoga moves. She led Doug in an evening yoga session, and even treated us to a yoga dance. Check it out!
Napier Art Deco Tour
Napier is known for being rebuilt in art deco style after a 1931 earthquake more or less flattened the city. We took a walking tour put on by the Art Deco Trust. We learned all about the earthquake, the city's rebuilding and art deco design motifs (ziggag, zuggurat, sunburst, fountain). I was loving every minute of it. Doug was neutral. The girls were flat-out bored. Oh well!
Afterwards we milled around the Art Deco Trust store and had fun with a bit of dress up :)
Hawke's Bay Wine & a Show
Hawke's Bay is known for its wineries. We were relatively short on free time during our few days in the area, so we only had time to hit up one winery. On the recommendation of a friend we went to Elephant Hill winery. It sat way back, across the road from the water. We shared the whole place with only two other patrons, so we took over a large room with lovely views. Doug & I did a tasting flight each while the girls wrote in their journals and drew.
Afterwards, Paige (currently obsessed with gymnastics) proudly showed us her first successful back walkover! She's self-taught and has been working her tail off to get to this point. Kudos, Paigey!
It ended up being a great few days in/around Napier!
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