Napier, New Zealand

 

The ship sailed into the bay around 7am, whilst we queued for departure tickets about 7.45am. We were on a private tour which requested for all those to disembark as soon as possible thus enabling the bus to arrive to lookouts and other destinations before the big Princess bus tours arrived. This way we kept the day clear. We were seated on the bus by 8.30am ready to depart, only to wait 10 mins for the last couple to arrive, which wasn't too bad considering past experiences (still can't beat the organisers of the world cruise private tours).

I suggest if there are any people contemplating a private tour of Napier, Scenic Tours great-tours@hbscenictours.co.nz are the way to go. John Hanlon was our driver and tour guide who is passionate about Napier, Napier's history, buildings and surroundings. We went to several great lookouts, travelled through the countryside, Hastings North, Hastings and Napier. He explained how the cities had rebuilt and the land surrounding had changed after the earthquake of 1931. I have taken a photo showing a gap between two buildings which during the earthquake, knocked together!

With regards to Napier and Hastings, a significant portion of the architecture was constructed in the styles of the time of the earth quack, and is now considered the Art Deco Capital of the world. Our guide took us past many buildings of Deco, Spanish Mission and Classical Revival.

We saw the most dramatic view of the day from Te Mata Peak. When the bus about to ascend the peak, our driver phoned a 'movement control co-ordinator' for permission to continue. Permission was given to move onto the next parking bay and wait until a pilot met us to escort up to the top of the peak. It was a very narrow road with steep drop offs. Once on the peak, we made a quick dash to the lookout, took our photos and had a rushed look around before we sought to shelter of the bus. It was so windy and cold up there, we thought we would freeze.

The bus drove past various orchards, wineries and grazing areas. The driver stopped at the Silky Oak Chocolate Company for 15 minutes of tasting and buying. We then called into a strawberry farm where we were given a choice of frozen berry ice cream served in a waffle cone. Yum. We had lunch at a local rose and garden nursery before we explored the Mission Winery.