Nov 19 – Tongariro
39°11′58″ S 175°32′23″ E

We were sad to say goodbye to our B&B hosts Wendy and Peter in Napier this morning. Not sure if we will ever make it back to Napier but if we do, we will certainly be staying here!

After another hearty breakfast we hit the road. Wendy recommended going east to Waiouru on a less traveled road and stopping there to see the National Army Museum.

We passed through some spectacular countryside, through agricultural areas famous for kumera – sweet potatoes and carrots as well as fruit orchards.

The highway had many twist and turns and changes in elevation through gorges and valleys then opening out into grazing lands of sheep, cattle and the occasional horse.

We were amazed at how wide & expansive these grazing lands were as we were up at a pretty substantial elevation.

We watched a storm coming in from the west and soon were in the middle of a downpour. We were glad for a stop at the New Zealand National Army Museum in Waiouru. The 3 photos below were copied from the Museum’s website.

The weather suited the sombre displays of New Zealand’s armed forces through the two World Wars and earlier times as well.

The museum was very well done.

Cath was especially taken with a special exhibit of women through both wars, with details of their lives and mannequins of clothing that they would have worn at different decades.

It was still raining heavily when we left Waiouru and made our way to Tongariro National Park about an hour away.

The clouds were low as we drove up to Chateau Tongariro where we were going to stay for the next two nights. We were very glad to be getting out of the car and into such a grand hotel.

It was still pretty unpleasant outside but we made the best of the situation & had a great “high tea” in the hotel’s classy lobby/relaxation area.

This treat brightened Cath’s (& my own) perspective.

Here’s hoping the clouds lift tomorrow!

Cheers!

Napier, Art Deco City
39.4892° S, 176.9186° E

This morning started off with “Pete’s Special” breakfast for me – poached eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and toast with homemade lime marmalade. Cath opted for fruit and yogurt! No need for lunch for me.

During breakfast we enjoyed chatting with two sisters from Germany who were also staying at the B&B.

Today we had a mixed agenda. Napier is well known as an important vineyard & wine production area with 74 local wineries & also as a city that has over 100 art deco style buildings.

The city was destroyed in 1931 by a major earthquake. At the time of rebuilding art deco architecture was very much in vogue so a significant part of the downtown commercial area was filled with buildings built in this style.

Years later, when other architectural styles became more popular, the local citizens & the government realized that Napier had something very unique & the majority of these buildings were preserved & are still here today.

We wandered around the downtown enjoying the building facades, stained glass and tiled entrance ways. We also walked along the beach front. Hawke’s Bay is huge but there is no sand, only smooth grey pebbles/stones. There were many beautiful flower gardens along the walkway.

From there we drove up to Bluff Hill for a view of the harbour.

Our B&B host Wendy had recommended the Mission Estates Winery for a tasting. Established in 1851, it is the oldest winery in New Zealand. The winery & the main buildings are part of a former French Catholic seminary that once trained as many as 600 priests.

They did not offer a tour but had many historic photos of the seminary & it’s beginnings as a winery. Our host Jacquie gave us a tasting of several different wines, starting with a bubbly and finishing with a dessert wine.

The outdoor restaurant area was very busy with large groups of well dressed locals mixed in with tourists like us. Happily they fit us in! I opted for a salad while Cath enjoyed green lipped mussels, a local specialty along with a glass of Pinot Gris. We drove out happily on the driveway lined with trees planted 100 years ago!

We went back to our B&B for a little rest and then I drove Cath back downtown for a swim at the City’s 25m outdoor pool beside the ocean. It wasn’t as spectacular as Bondi Icebergs but it was warmer!

Back at our B&B Wendy and Peter invited us to join them on their back deck for a glass of wine and some nibbles. They are such warm and welcoming hosts who really wanted us to have an excellent stay as their guests at the B&B and in the area. Easy to do!

Cheers!

38°21′27″ S 176°22′9″ E
Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Area

This morning we took a short walk to see the avocado orchard owned by our hosts at the Purple Hen B&B.

Avocado trees looked nothing like we expected!

Then we traveled south to Napier with a stop along the way to see the geothermal pools at Wai-O-Tapu which is just past Rotorua.

This geological feature is amazing & is well developed to accommodate large numbers of tourists. It was the first time that we felt a bit crowded here in New Zealand. That said, the crowds did not interfere with us having a good experience & being able to see almost everything we had hoped to see.

There is a geyser that erupts every day around 10:00 in the morning but unfortunately we were about 45 minutes too late for that. However there was still lots of other sights here to see.

There were numerous deep sulfur craters with bubbling mud at the bottom & others filled with steaming hot water.

There were no places to soak as all of them were far too hot – some well over 100 C!

Depending upon which way the wind was blowing the smell of sulphur was quite strong – almost enough to gag you!

We left the hot pools and continued south to Napier, about a 2 hour drive through rolling hills and winding roads.

We checked into our B&B – 119 on Georges – and were greeted by our genial hosts Wendy and Peter.

After a brief rest we drove to the downtown area, had a late lunch/early supper at a sidewalk cafe, then headed back to our cozy room.

More adventures in Napier tomorrow.

Cheers!

36.3712° S, 174.6299° E
Sheepworld, Warkworth, NZ

This morning we headed south on State Highway 1 towards Auckland. We arrived at Sheepworld after an hour and a half for the 11:00 am show of sheep dogs and sheep shearing.

The setting is laid out like a small farm with pens of different kinds of sheep, cows, donkeys, pigs, alpacas and emus. We bought some bags of food and enjoyed feeding the animals. The emus were very keen to meet us & have a snack! They reminded us of some of the creatures in Jurassic Park!

Our host & guide, John, took to the small stage introduced us to the dogs – Boy, Mac and Muz.

Boy and Mac are New Zealand Heading dogs that he called “Eye Dogs” for their ability to maintain eye contact with him and not barking. They are descended from Border Collies whose long hair was not suited to the heat. Muz is a Huntaway Dog bred for their loud, deep bark to help with herding. John put them through their paces.

Boy was off like a shot over the fence and up a hill to herd a flock of about 20 sheep down to the paddock.

It was great to watch Boy respond on cue to the calls and whistles of John. Mac, only 7 months old, already knows his rights and lefts and how to work in a circle with John.

Muz barked on command and did his duty without the natural herding instinct of the other dogs.

We went back inside and John did a great job explaining the sheep farming industry in New Zealand and then demonstrated how sheep shearing is done. Very physical labour!

Shearers are expected to shear a minimum of 300 sheep a day and world record holders can do more than 700! At $2.15 per sheep!

Muz’s work was done so he settled in for a rest on a fresh wool rug!

We left the rural setting of the sheep paddock and continued on our way through the very urban environment of downtown Auckland, with construction and volume slowdowns. It was quite a contrast but not too difficult.

Our destination was the small town of Katikati on the east coast. We had hoped for a farm stay on our trip and this was pretty close – the Purple Hen Guest House with an avocado orchard!

We found an Indian restaurant in town and enjoyed a tasty dinner before retiring to our room at the guest house.

Not a baaaad day!

Tane Mahuta – New Zealand’s Oldest Living Tree

35.6009° S, 173.5272° E

There was a terrific thunderstorm in the early morning so we waited until the rain stopped before heading out. We just made the 11:00 ferry across Hokianga Harbour, a 15 minute trip.

We landed in Rawene, a picturesque town and had a coffee at No. 1 Parnell cafe in a former grocery store.

It was a short winding road along Hokianga Harbour on the way to Waipoua National Forest with some stellar views.

Once in the forest, we made our way to see Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest, the largest living kauri tree in New Zealand, estimated to be more than 2,000 years old. He is more than 50 feet in diameter!

The forest preserves other examples of these magnificent trees, which are under threat from kauri dieback disease. Visitors are not supposed to go off the board walks and have to clean their shoes before and after visiting the trees. Several trails have recently been closed to try and control the disease.

We drove for another 2 hours along the long and winding road to Whangarei

We are staying for the night at Lupton Lodge, a historic inn just outside of the city.

Tomorrow we go to Sheepworld! The guidebook says that the sheepdog demonstration is not too baaaaad!

Cheers!