Hawke’s Bay

Day 54
12 December 2019
Km 0
Cumulative Km 694

Today was a rest day and I only did a few kilometres between cafes and McDonalds for soft serve ice cream . 🙂

I had a morning and part of the afternoon to kill as I waited for my 3pm bus to Palmerston North.

I decided not to do the 5 day canoeing trip mainly because if I didn’t like it a few hours in then 5 days was not a good idea!!Then from Whanganui to Palmerston North is 99% road walking .

I did however have something to look forward to- my Kiwi friend- Ross- from the Antarctica trip was due to pick me up and take me to his place for a long weekend- he took Friday and Monday off.We got into Hastings at about 21h30.

Day 55
Km 0
Cumulative Km 694

After a hearty breakfast we set out to explore the Hawke’s Bay area. I haven’t been to these parts before, so I was excited.Our exploring started in Napier. Napier was nearly completely flattened after the 1931 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck it. In rebuilding it, the modern Art Deco style of the 1920s was used for the entire city centre and is proudly preserved today! The town planners also took the opportunity to widen all the streets as they were very narrow pre earthquake.

There was a large passenger liner docked today so old cars and people dressed up in period costumes were also around.We got a self guided Art Deco pamphlet from the information centre and walked around the centre reading up about the different buildings.

The Cathedral, which had a mass being said inside during the time of the quake, was flattened and rebuilt. It is now a modern, nearly industrial looking church with modern stain glass windows and very intricate and interesting Maori altar and weaving on the back walls. I have not seen this before. It is beautifully crafted!

After meandering around the city we took a drive and walk to Bluff Lookout which overlooks the port , Bays and has grand old homes around. We also passed the Girls school for a lookout over the Bay and city centre . The turquoise waters stretched all the way to Cape Kidnappers .

It was a fabulous day, to what is now one of my favourite New Zealand cities! Not only is the art deco cool here but I also found some great street art!

Once we were finished in Napier we took the drive to Te Mata Peak, where there are brilliant views of the hills, river and wineries.

Day 56
Km 0
Cumulative Km 694

Today we drove to Te Awanga to take a 4WD bus tour to the Gannett colonies of Kidnappers Cape. The colonies are on private farmland and only one company goes there.

***On a side note there is a 5+ star lodge on this property that costs 1,700 NZD per night to stay in and a round of golf on the exclusive golf course is 400 NZD!

We travel for a while before hitting our first lookout- over the cliffs of the cape- and where a large slip closed off beach access to the colonies. Amazingly the tractor tours that operated there were stopped just before the slip when it all came down and 2 people were caught in it but miraculously survived with broken bones!! This link contains a video https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/380750/walkers-swept-by-rockfall-into-sea-at-hawke-s-bay-beach

We continue until we hit the Plateau Colony as well as the inaccessible colony above the caves- The Saddle Colony. David Attenborough filmed and photographed this colony in the 1980s. The birds are not worried by humans , rather more so by each other!! The gannets are related to the boobys that I have seen around the Galapagos Islands. They do come here to mate, lay eggs, look after their young and head off to Australia before the New Zealand winter kicks in.

Only 30% of the birds make it back across the ocean!When the birds land at their nest they greet their partner with a dance, heads straight in the air and breaks touching. If their neighbour doesn’t appreciate their arrival then a fight ensues!! They do draw blood sometimes! There were many nests with fluffy chicks in them, some already quiet large.

I witnessed some pre-mating preening rituals. The males attempt to subdue the females by holding their heads/ necks in their beaks while attempting to get on their backs.

It was great to watch these birds for over half an hour before we headed back.We planned to have lunch at a winery though both were booked out!! Mind you, one even had 8 visitors that flew in by helicopter!!! Wow! In the end we had a vegetarian meal in Havelock and delicious ice cream at Rush Munros in Hastings!! My favourite flavour- lemon gin!! Yes!! Gin!