Napier

Back by the Pacific Ocean at last! It was already dark when I arrived in this seaside town of about 25,000 but could hear the pounding surf across street from the YHA hostel. Very friendly old folkie Bob checked me in but was confused because a Valeria from Spain had already checked in.

Next morning I had a chance to stroll along the waterfront. Beach was black pebbles, ocean a milky light jade green, light was constanly changing as a weather front was blowing in. After picking up tourist info at the local iSite I pointed myself towards Opossum World. Never did make it there that day as I detoured into a very interesting Maori art gallery where I ended up spending several hours. (see other post)

By mid-afternoon the rain had stopped. Well-timed, because I was gung-ho to do the Art Deco guided walk of downtown. (covered in a separate post)

After that I checked out a wine tasting at the local Wine Centre. Modelled after those winery boutiques you see in Napa and Sonoma valleys, it was very much geared towards folks like the couple from Orlando (both pilots) I met in there. Not so much towards the budget traveller.
Still, I had bought fresh local mussels that day and needed a good wine to drink with. Ironically the recommendation was not a local (Hawkes Bay) wine, but a Riesling from the Central Otago region of South Island. Was still tasty and good value for $20NZD.

Cooked up those juicy big green-lipped mussels in a creamy wine sauce. Pas mal du tout.
We had some heavy rain that night, much needed in the region by farmers, I’m told. Had a lazy morning wandering along the ocean and popped in on my Maori artist friends again.

And this time I did make it to Opossum World, a very bizarre tribute to their national pest.

quirks

This of course rubs me the wrong way for so many reasons, but hey, dif'rent strokes.. I'm still getting used to looking the proper direction when stepping off a curb. Now I have to worry about this?

Something else that strikes me as odd/antiquated is public transit bus drivers giving out change. Great for tourists, of course, but can you imagine this happening in Vancouver? Un-like-ly. Bus drivers here have an entire tray of money open...do they not get ripped off?

One problem I still have several days into the trip is recognizing a $2 coin. Lame, I know. Yes, it's larger than their $1 coin and that is, of course, perfectly logical. However, their $2 is almost the exact shape/size/colour as our Canadian looney, so I have "one dollar" imprinted on the brain.

I am digging the no tipping thing, though. And seeing a listed price being the actual price! No sticker shock in terms of hidden taxes, etc.

And have I mentioned the inexpensive wine? Contrary to what I might be leading you to believe, I haven't been consuming that much, but that may or may not change once I hit the Hawkes Bay area in a few days.

oot and aboot

Spent the afternoon wandering around the very compact downtown area of Wellington. Hub of shopping activity appears to centre around a couple of intersecting pedestrian malls: Manners and Cuba. Cuba Street appears to be the "happening" (in a Main or Commercial Drive kind of way) area with clubs, restaurants, shopping. Guy dragging around a big cross.. (barely visible in pic). You know, the usual.

Had some amazing fish and chips at Wellington Trawling Sea Market (great name). Cost: under $5 Cdn. No cod or halibut here so today's fish was moki. Fresh kiwifruit going for about $2 Cdn a kilo. Easy to find a good bottle of Aussie or Kiwi plonk for under $8 Cdn. Fresh local cheese abounds.

Saw a booth for the Comedy Festival which is underway and have been talked into seeing some sort of "card ninja" act later tonight. Yes, comedy with playing cards. Apparently it's much better than it sounds.

I am still getting a handle on the vibe but I will say the city is very quiet, even when the pedestrian traffic is heavy. No honking cars! Architecture-wise I'm getting a San Francisco meets Edinburgh thing. Of course Wellington smells so much better than either of those cities. It was unpleasantly windy at times but I can imagine this place looks awesome in the sunshine. Apparently I'll be waiting a few days for that.

In any case, I'm glad I brought a warm wool hat and rainjacket because I've used them both already. Lots of indoor activities here so shall probably hit one of the museums tomorrow.