We arrived in Napier around 3 PM and got a room at the Criterion Art Deco Backpackers. It is right in the center of town and was formerly the Crtierion Hotel, and it is a classy Art Deco building. Napier is right on the coast of Hawkes Bay and it challenges Miami for the title of Art Deco Capital of the World. The original town was founded in the mid-1800s but it was virtually destroyed in 1931 when it was hit by an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale. Nearly 250 people died in Napier and nearby Hastings. The rebuilding program that followed the earthquake provided one of the world's best examples of an Art Deco city.
Shari and I wandered around the town for a while and happened to pass by a theatre that is showing a performance of "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" tonight, so we inquired about tickets. There are seats available, so we went to the grocery store, ate dinner, wrote our notes and we will go back to see the show at 8 PM. A nice treat. I saw the show last time I was in London and really enjoyed it.
We went over about 7:30 to pick up the tickets for the 8 PM show and of all things, their computer was down. We waited about 20 minutes and they finally got a listing of the seats faxed to them (isn't technology grand). In any case, we ended up with great seats, about 10 rows from the stage in the center of the theatre. I enjoyed the show as much this time as in London, and Shari also enjoyed it very much.
4/10: Today is Shari's birthday and I wanted to surprise her with a "cake" (a muffin with candles) and a gift. I got up as soon as my alarm went off and headed with my bag of stuff to go to the bathroom. Of course she was awake and said, "Oh, are you going to take a shower?" I just said no and basically ignored her and walked out of the room. I put the candles in the "cake" outside the room (I had thought someone might come along in the darkened hall and see me with a lighter and candles and throw me out, but luckily no one came along). I got the cake and gift ready and walked back in singing Happy Birthday. I all worked out just fine for Shari's New Zealand birthday. I gave her a book that is very popular here right now that shows all the locations where "Lord of the Rings" was filmed. She can use it next year when she rents the movie again at home, to refer to places we've visited here. It was very difficult to buy stuff (candles, wrapping paper, card, book, "cake") because we are always together, but I managed over the last week without her seeing me buy them.
We then took the Art Deco walk around Napier from 10-11 AM. Another great bargain at NZ$8. We also saw a 20-minute video at the end of the tour about the development of Art Deco during the 1930s.
We left Napier at noon and headed to Turango , and we willdo the Tongariro Crossing tomorrow. There is a 4-5 day Great Walk called the Tongariro Northern Circuit, but we only have time to do the one day Crossing. It is supposed to be one of the finest one-day walks in New Zealand, if the weather is good (it is iffy for tomorrow).
We are checked in to a very nice hostel for 2 nights and there is a couple from Germany that we met in the Abel Tasman Track who is also staying here. We just chatted with them for the last hour and Shari got their address in Germany so we may see them when we are in Europe. They live in southwest Germany, about 2.5 hours from Paris.
We went to the grocery store and just cooked dinner at the hostel. Very low key evening. This hostel has large open spaces - kitchen, dining area, tv room. They have the best tv room of any hostel we've stayed in - a large room, big sofas and a door which you can shut to keep out noises from the kitchen and dining area. I strectched out on a sofa and started watching "60 Minutes," but I fell asleep just like at home. About 9 PM I got up and went to bed.
4/11: We got the 7:30 AM bus for the ride to the start of the Tongariro Crossing and what a beautiful day it was. Clear blue sky so we had magnificent views all day long. It was a 17 km hike with quite a bit of uphill during the first half of the track. I took lots of pictures today - the Red Crater (the highest point on the track at 1,820 meters), the 3 Emerald Lakes and the Blue Lake. Lake Taupo could also be seen off in the distance.
We started the hike around 8:45 AM and reached the car park about 3 PM. We stopped for lunch up at the Blue Lake and it was quite lovely. We have been lucky with weather here, and today was no exception. It's hard to believe we have only 3 more days in New Zealand.
