14 March 2024 Napier New Zealand

 We woke to temperatures in the mid 50s, light winds and showers. Once again we are surprised by how cool the temperatures are in NZ. We grabbed a quick breakfast at the Terrace Buffet before heading down to deck 4 for debarkation. The ship finished docking about 8 am and was ready to off load passengers at 8:15. We had to take busses from the ship, through the working part of the port and into town. There we met up with our Hawkes Bay Scenic Tours guide and driver for the day, Stuart. There was just ourselves and a couple (Jeff and Sue) from Virginia Beach on the tour. David asked Stuart about the possibility of stopping at a phone repair store to see about getting his phone screen repaired. Stuart drove us past four shops but none of them were open yet. But he kept up a running commentary about the town. In 1931, Rapier was hit by a 7.8 earthquake that wiped out the town. The land rose over 7 feet across 4 major quakes. As the town was rebuilt, it was done in the Art Deco style popular in the 1930s. As a result, it is the largest collection of Art Deco buildings in the world. They had just recently had their annual Art Deco festival where people come in period cars and dress to celebrate the art form. Stuart took us to the Mission winery for a tasting. We had eaten dinner here back on 3 February. This time we had the chance to taste six of their wines and we bought a bottle of Chardonnay, Syrah, and a Malbec to take back with us. Stuart then took us to a brewery for a tasting of beers and ciders. We could not go to any other wineries because they don’t open until after we need to be back to the ship. Still, that was a lot of tasting before lunch! Stuart then took us to a fish and chips house to pick up some lunch before dropping us at the beach, near to where we needed to meet the bus for the ride back to the ship. Right across the street was one of the phone repair shops, now open, and they were able to replace the screen on David’s phone in 20 minutes (only $95USD!). While we waited for the repair, we wandered the downtown area of Napier and enjoyed the architecture. With David’s repaired phone in hand, we hopped on the bus back to the ship. We stood on our balcony and watched as the ship pulled away from the dock and headed out to sea.

Looking out from Mission Winery

Mission Winery celler

Brew Tasting