Ballina Motel Napier

... s café which you'd miss if you blinked with a Melbourne style almost no door or sign policy. Once inside, when your eyes adjusted to the low light there were some funky slightly older (i.e. 30+) folks enjoying a jar/cocktail or wine or two to some cool music. The bar itself i.e. the thing you bought your drinks over was a work of art - made from beautifully shaped and laminated hardwood. A couple of nightcaps were had and a great day came to a close.

... geflochten aus Bananenblaettern, der uns ein wenig Kuehlung verschaffte!<br>Das Reisen auf Samoa war sehr spannend und gaaaaaanz anders als in Neuseeland..<br>Wir sind mit dem oeffentlichen Bussen unterwegs gewesen oder per Anhalter oder wir haben uns mal ein Taxi gegoennt. Die Busse fahren auf Samoa nur dann, wenn auch genügend Passagiere an Bord sind und zu unbestimmten Zeiten. Untergekommen sind wir in sogenannten Beach Fales...das sind einfache Hüttenunterkünfte (meistens direkt am ...

... and even the trees for example Pacific queen is a Maroon red something like the color of deoxygenated blood running in your veins and texture is rough compare to the others. Once in a while you can come across 'shiny apple' just what you get when you finish waxing your car. The one I really like is Fuji apples and Brookfield, crunchy and sweet. The pacific queen taste chewy and not as sweet....haha that is how I ...

... is to get a mobile phone. I bought a cheap LG phone 89NZD and a new SIM as well. I could use it on my reservist when I am back. Another on the agenda today is to attend the final day of Art deco festival, mainly the flying displays as this will be the final day I could catch it. Arriving at the coastal road, which is also the venue for some of the highlights of the event. There are heaps of people all dress up for the occasion ...

... Also visited Huka Falls, which is the Waikato River passing through a narrow chasm. Very impressive and clear blue water! Arrived at Lake Taupo and took an early evening boat trip on the lake to see the Maori Rock Carvings and several bays around the lake. Lake is 42km x 27km - a big expanse of water!! Heard a rumour that it's freezing with most of you reading this - to help you thaw out, we've now added lots of ...

... some modern (but still smart) buildings further out. I was impressed by the suburb on the hill to the north of the town; many art deco or striking modern houses, with superb view of Hawkes Bay, the town and port, and the mountains to the east. All the streets there, though, are very steep and what looks like one hill to climb to get to the lookout turned out to be three. (I didn't make it ...

... out so that I could lie in the tent listening to the rain - something I find strangely enjoyable! We packed up, left our bags at reception, and walked along the sea front (still in the rain) into town for the morning. The rain became quite light later in the morning so it was pleasant enough just wandering around admiring the gardens and architecture. We ate peanut butter sandwiches ...

... lasagne Which was devoured in no time. The rest of the evening was spent with small talk before going to sleep the right side of midnight and despite 6 of us initially started on the beach only me and the two Scandinavians girls (Mette, a Danish girl joined our group in our last week here) braving the cloudless night as the two guys and Annie all slept in the car. From the sound of it, everybody had a restless sleep with Tom claiming I kept him up with my snoring. I ...

... set. They love their vintage cars here and there are antique shops everywhere. A real step back in time. The weather in this part of the North Island is really good all year so as you are driving into Napier for as far as the eye can see there are vineyards. Lisa and Paul

... and our front room and bedroom looked right into the harbour. It was enchanting and so needed after our hostile hostel experience. Ann, the protrietor, was celebrating her birthday and was kind enough to phone for a wine tour for us for the next morning. When we left the hostel that morning they told us that it was daylight savings time and we should put our clocks ahead one hour. Thankfully we remembered since we were the ...