Art Deco capital of the World

Who knew it was in New Zealand? 

Napier suffered a really large earthquake in 1931 and it wiped out most of the town. There was a massive rebuilding programme and they adopted the Art Deco style. It's a lovely seaside resort, the sun was shining, the buildings were fabulous, and to top it off we were in the Hawkes Bay wine region! What was not to like?!!!!

The first wine tasting was okay, but I did have a slight disagreement with the lady leading the session when she tried to tell everyone that Shiraz came from Spain!!!! Tut, tut, tut!!!! For the uneducated Shiraz, more correctly known as Syrah actually comes from the Rhone Valley. As I felt it my duty to point out!!!! By the time we had finished our 2nd tasting session I was past caring about inaccuracies!

The Mission vineyard is owned by a group of Brothers (of the godly variety!) and it was rather yummy! We did take a few bottles away with us, for emergencies!

A long drive from Napier is Wellington. Windy Wellington! The capital city. The city is centred around the waterfront. You can get up to Mt Victoria and get great panoramic views. 

The Te Papa Museum on the Waterfront was a great building, full of interesting artefacts, but not so big that it was overwhelming. A few if us took the opportunity to go and see Beyond the Edge, a film that has just been released which details Sir Edmund Hilary's attempt on Everest. Using old footage, old interviews and spliced with some recreations it was an utterly fascinating and awe inspiring film about a man who is a Kiwi legend.