Quality Inn Napier

... rich honey character when in the glass. Good sweet fruit perhaps a little dominant over the acidity. Quite complex and long.

Church Road - Another well known and old winery now part of a large group (Pernod Ricard) but still fairly autonomous when it comes to it's wine. This has an underground extensive cellar which was built out of the old concrete vats which use to be used for Sherry and Port style wine which was the original ...

Today I was suppose to go to work, the other ladies have left but I was going to go it alone. Crazy Catherine though failed to show up. So I went out and explored the Art Deco Architecture/shops of Napier. It was nice and peaceful. There is a armed siege going on in a different bit of Napier, this is very rare in NZ and is national headline news but luckily its not that near me, so I was ...

... like I got a pretty good flavor of the Art Deco-ness of the buildings on my own. I may be here to experience as much of each place as possible, but even I don't need a walking tour of everything. I had dinner with an English girl named Katie, who was staying in our 3 person (all female) dorm room. She had been in Napier for a week following the NZ cricket team. Can't say cricket would be a sport I become a rabid fan of, but she was very friendly and we had a good time. I ...

Hic, Hic, Hic!!!! Left Rotorua Wednesday morning for Taupo. During the journey stopped off at Orakei Korako - Hidden Valley, which is a thermal area accessed by boat and where Walking with Dinosaurs was filmed. Very HOT and numerous steps. You think Gillian is accident prone - Janice did a free fall/unscheduled bungy whilst going down into a cave - negotiating several steps on her bum!!! (No injuries sustained - pride still ...

... just after lunch. Was thinking I would head off on a wine tour however a cruise ship was in town and all the tours were finished for the day. So set off wandering the town. The foreshores were nice along the main stretch of town and the pathway went on right down to Hastings (the next town). I didn't walk that far!! Had a Feijoa flavoured icecream which had a fruity creamy taste - quite nice. Passed the aquarium and then headed inland toward the city ...

... i'll come back to that), sheep shearer and a hostel cleaner. I've been bungy jumping, zorbing, chased off a camp ground, walked through some treks, gone horse back riding, become a sushi fan, met people from all over the world...and I'm only half way done! De and I went to a mongolian grill place for our special day, and it was such a great day out too. Napier is definetly a great place to be ...

... gave a brilliant show. The songs, beautifully done, were only a part of the show. Calling us all Bedouins (we were sitting in a tent after all) and making passes on some teenage boys and hard working farmers, they definitely gave a show that will not be forgotten soon in Hawkes Bay. We left Hawkes Bay very pleased and loaded with fresh apples, and later that evening met a German couple and got rid of that disgusting apple strudel..!

... ze waarschijnlijk weinig gemerkt, maar de warmte en waarschijnlijk een gebrek aan calcium speelden haar parten. Voor mij betekende dit dat ik veel bij haar zat te leze, om zo op te letten dat haar onrust niet nog meer ongelukken met zich meebracht. Donderdagochtend kreeg ik een bericht van thuis: onze eigen hond was overleden. Omringd door zoveel honden en vooral ook de puppies hier, leek het ergens erg ver weg, maar me inbeeldend om over 3,5 week thuis te komen zonder een Lesco die ...

Okay, so I know we haven't updated the blog for a week but we have been on one hell of a road trip! Well, back to Stinky Rotorua, it is really stinky because of all the geothermal stuff! We headed up there early from Taupo, and landed in Rotorua around lunchtime, as it was so early we decided to keep on going up to the Bay of Plenty and Whakatane, pronounced F*&katane, really!!!! Apparently our proununciations of Kiwi placenames is hilarious! Anyways, the Bay of ...

... it" that this is not an city-oriented culture -- even the cities that have an active feel to them close down at 6:00 pm, and the motel owners eagerly anticipate the business they'll get when the agriculture and produce expo comes to town. (Wellington may be different - we haven't gotten there yet, and some of the touristy places DO have restaurants that stay open later. But generally, even at 7 or 7:30 pm, if ...