Waterfront Lodge & Backpackers Napier

... to be helped along by a ranger chucking some soap powder down the fumarole! ROTFL. Anyway, Lady Knox erupted on schedule and we all photographed her to death.

From there we went down into the park itself. You have probably seen it on the telly; Billy Connolly has been there cracking rude jokes for one. It consists of various circular walks past assorted boiling mud pools, steaming craters and bubbly lakes, all showing signs of ...

... on the nose, peachy. Good integration, softer finish. Stone fruit with a citrus end.

2004 Merlot - Thinning at the edge. Port nose with Plum undercurrent. Good acidity and savoury palette.

2005 Merlot Cabernet Franc - 75% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc 2% Malbec. Spicy nose with liquorice and black fruit. Firm tannins, good acidity and plumy palette.

Te Mata - Great wines and horrible people. I've never been to a winery ...

... captain stopped every now and then to put the hydrophone (underwater microphone) in the water to listen for whale activity. We were just starting to get bored when the boat went flying off towards something, apparently the captain could see a whale in the distance. We all went up on deck with cameras at the ready. It took us a while to spot it as only a small bit of the whale actually sticks out of the water. The whale comes up to the ...

22 February 2009 The guys were working today, I awaken by their noise and couldn't get back to my dreamland after that. Twist and turn for a about half an hour before I was truly awake by grumbling of my stomach. I fry the remaining bread I have with egg, it remind me of my secondary school days when my parents are out working and that is one of the few things I know how to cook when I am hungry. I was out early in the morning, top ...

... it is possible to successfully incorporate a bull fight, a limbo contest and a Maori war canoe into a children's Christmas play. I would have to question, however, having the Wise Men bungee jump onto the stage.* · New Zealand is the only country in the world that can actually get people to pay for a "Hobbiton Tour". This allows the customers to see a small door in the side of a mound of dirt (i.e. Bilbo's house from the Lord of the Rings)...I ...

... every time now I'm taking the bus because of my stays. In Napier, for example, I'm gonna stay for several days. Originally, I planned to stay 3 days, because I was told that there is no bus going after 2 days, but this is not true for this week. So I changed plans again, and I'll leave Napier already on Thursday, 18 December. This way I can have another stop at Rotorua to get on the Hobbiton tour from there, and I'm back on ...

Saturday Today we decided to visit Napier on the east coast. A lovely seaside 'City' where unusually on a Saturday most of the shops had shut at lunchtime! Our hostel was very nice and homely, just off the seafront. A good base for seeing the wine region. Sunday We went to a chocolate factory today (it had to be done!) called Silky Oaks. We found out about the history of chocolate in the museum and had to buy some chocolate for our long trip back to Wellington ...

... its doughnut manoeuvres ensuring everyone got a tad wet but personally I felt disappointed from this activity, 80 dollars that could have been spent elsewhere. Even more surprising is that you can't get hold of any alcohol on Good Friday or Easter Sunday unless it is purchased with a meal, much to the disgust of my friends. Back in Napier, I crashed on the floor of my mates studio apartment at the camp site which was ideally located a short walk ...

... vintage cars greeted us. The drivers and passengers were dressed in 30's outfits and drove some of the passengers into town where other towns people were decked out in flapper dresses and straw hats and spats! It was a great welcome and a fun day.

... displays. I watched the show they put on when they feed the fish. This was primarily for the kids since the diver had a clown wig, a red nose bulb, and a picture of lips and teeth glued to his mouthpiece but he was really entertaining and got the kids involved. After seeing all they had to see, involving a look at a real kiwi digging around for insects, I walked back to the hostel and began my drive to Rotorua.