Road-trip 1 - Napier

This weekend I ventured out of Wellington for the first time since I arrived. I decided to hire a car and drive up the North Island to a town called Napier.


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The journey starts out on one of the few 3 lane motorways in the country. This quickly gives way to a narrow road that winds it's way back and forth up and then over the Rimutaka mountain range. Then the road passes through a series of towns, including an unexpected Norwegian settlement called Norsewood. As it gets to the Hawkes Bay region it gets noticeably warmer and the road passes by plenty of vineyards. Without someone else to do the driving I decided this wasn't the right trip for a wine tour. I did stop off briefly at the Tui Brewery on the way up, but it was still Saturday morning and Tui are more popular for their adverts than their beer, I didn't find it hard to resist a sample.


Napier


The town is famous because it was largely destroyed in a huge earthquake in the early 1930s and when it was rebuilt many of the buildings were designed in an Art Deco style. The town centre is the most comprehensive example of Art Deco (so my Rough Guide says). The town is right on the shore and has a long waterfront called Ocean Parade, which feels like an English seaside town, except for the palm trees.


The weather was pretty grotty on the Saturday afternoon when I arrived, but I took my camera out and about and got some photos around the town. Here are a few of them -

Around the town


On the Sunday I started out with a tour round Napier prison. Luckily it shut down in the mid-90s and now runs as a tourist attraction and even has a few hostel beds for people who are looking for somewhere a bit different to stay. Given there is a hanging yard out the back, I can't say I felt tempted.


I then headed out of town to follow up the recommendations of the bar staff from the Irish bar I'd been drinking in the night before. Despite the doubtful source of these tips, they turned out to be good. I headed up Te Mata, a peak that gave a fantastic view over miles of the landscape - 

Just to prove I was there!

On the drive back I stopped in to visit a friend from work at her parent's house in Woodville. That led to the highlight of the whole trip, the Woodville Windfarm. If you've never stood right underneath a wind turbine while the blades are turning, it's a pretty trippy experience.


I made it back to Wellington about 8pm on Sunday, absolutely knackered but otherwise a happy travelling Duck.