This morning we awoke to a beautiful sunny day with the sad thought that we were leaving this wonderful outdoors place. The sunshine would have been welcomed a couple of days ago when we were trying to do a bit of exploring. No problem, today we will head off to Napier for a day or two. This will involve about 200 km so it will not be a long day.
However, before we left we had a leisurely breakfast chatting with a couple of new friends from Germany who have been at the campsite for almost as long as we have. We have exchanged emails and hopefully will stay in touch, maybe even meet up on the South Island since they go over on the 28 and we go on the 29.
The drive was very relaxing as we enjoyed looking at the landscape around us. It amazes us how the landscape can be so varied in such a small land mass. We can be looking at volcanos one minute and forest farms the next. In between you may see sheep ranches or farms growing a variety of crops. This really is a beautiful country.
We have set up Skype and had called Lewis a couple of days ago to set a time for us to call on their Christmas Day to visit with him and the kids. So at noon today (Dec 26th here but still Dec 25 there) we were to call them on Skype (computer to computer) so we could have a video conference call. Of course would you not know it but we are driving between the towns but no problem, it is a cell phone connection we have so we can stop along the road and place the call…. NOT!!! Cell service here seems to be very spotty and we started to look for service from 11:45 as we drove but it took until 12:05 to finally get a cell hotspot. Then we were able to connect and have a really nice video call. I was impressed at how big the kids are getting since Tyla is already taller than her dad’s shoulders. Tristan is growing up and losing her front teeth and Jory is still working at being busy all the time. It was very special.
We continued to the park and got settled in so we could call my sister also on Skype. I think that we will be using Skype more often now that we have it installed and figured out how easy it is to call people. The cost of a computer to computer call is free and the cost of calling a landline is very cheap (about 3 cents a minute to Canada).
So we are now parked, the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing enough to make it very comfortable here. We thought about taking a dinner cruise that was advertised but it seems that it was not running on Boxing Day, so no go. Then we decided the next best thing to do (after we finished washing the clothes and hanging them out to dry) was to go to the Te Mata Lookout which is in the list of ‘must do’s for this area.
The road up to the lookout gets narrower and narrower as you climb up to the ridge. For the last 500 meters there is no way two vehicles could meet and pass so we just held our breath and hoped we did not meet anyone. However, once we got there the views were breathtaking (no pun intended – well maybe just a bit). Not only did we enjoy the views but we were entertained with incredible acrobatic stunts of the Para gliders.
This lookout is one of the best places for launching Para gliders apparently. There are two launch pads available and they are simply a built out pad that starts at the top and drops over the edge with no way to recover once you step off the edge.
At any rate there were two Para gliders floating around above us and they can stay aloft for hours apparently. The updrafts around the ridge provide all the needed elevation gains when done correctly. We watched as they spun, flipped, dived and recovered to head upward again several times. I enjoyed taking the pictures but did not enjoy having to pick only a few to put on here.
Eventually we had to find our way back down the road so we could decide about dinner. This was the first time we have had a chance to go out for dinner in several days and it is Boxing Day, so we went looking for a nice restaurant – only to learn that most have closed for Boxing Day. Finally we did find a really pleasant and good Chinese Restaurant.
Now we can relax and prepare for tomorrow where have already booked a wine tour since Napier is in the heart of New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay Wine District. Hawkes Bay is New Zealand’s premier wine and food destination and boasts more than 70 vineyards, fabulous fresh produce and gourmet delights. Hawkes Bay is New Zealand’s oldest wine region and Mission Estate Winery, which was New Zealand’s first winery, is located in Taradale, Napier. In addition it has beaches, boardwalks, country trails, and all sorts of family oriented vacationing options. We are glad we arrived early today since by late this afternoon the campground filled up. No, I did not sign up as a promoter for the region, but so far I am impressed. We will see if I feel the same after a morning of beach combing and an afternoon of wine tours.
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