NAPIER and WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND

09 FEB 11

Another lovely town (population 60,000), this one located in the world famous Hawkes Bay region, known for its wines. Completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1931, the entire town was rebuilt in the Art Deco style making this a sister city with Miami Beach. The Colony Hotel comes to mind with many of the local buildings. This was a ½ day call so we again took the free shuttle downtown (do you see a financial pattern here?) and simply wandered around. They are missing an opportunity here as every outdoor café was a coffee shop, no wine bars!
The highlight of our 3 hours ashore was a visit to McDonald’s for free wi-fi followed by a short walk to a large grocery store to stock up on vittles (wine, beer and chocolate) to beat the overpricing on the ship. We detoured on the way back to the ship to visit a park with a profundity of flowers and huge old trees that obviously survived the earthquake. We ran into the ship’s florist there, taking pictures of flowers. He is Dutch and a very talented person, judging by the displays throughout the ship. Here he has a chance to get off the ship and what does he do? Seeks out flowers. He says he loves his job!

As the ship prepared for departure, a Dixieland jazz band serenaded us from the pier. This town knows the value of bringing cruise ships to its port and they do a lot to encourage goodwill. I have never felt more welcome in any port.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND

10 FEB 11

What can I say about New Zealand? If I were to emigrate, and I gave it considerable thought during the last presidential administration, I think New Zealand would be the place. Every city/town visited is just a place I could live. Wellington, at the southern tip of the North Island, is the country’s capital. Maybe it’s been the weather, but we just had a glorious day here. Took the free shuttle downtown and walked over to the National Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Their immigration exhibit left me weepy. They have for generations begged for people to emigrate here to live. The majority of the immigrants were from Great Britain but later years brought Cambodians, Vietnamese and South Sea islanders looking for a better life. All welcomed.

They have on display the largest squid ever captured. A video shows how the squid ensnared a large fish but neglected to let go as the fish, which was on a hook from a fishing vessel, was slowly brought to the surface. It’s an amazing exhibit.
After a waterfront lunch, we ventured to the funicular which took us up the mountainside to the Wellington Botanic Gardens. We bought a round trip ticket but found that the walk down was only 40 minutes and most people (read locals) only buy a trip up the mountain. Well, our return tickets will be useful as bookmarks. One of the distinctive features of New Zealand is its multi-trunked trees. It is not unusual to find trees with a dozen trunks, all spread out over a large area, giving welcomed shade.