September 29,
2013: NAPIER
As befitting
the nature of this Establishment, the Esk Valley Lodge serves breakfast to
guests. We had fresh omelets, bacon, and toast. The jam and orange juice were
from the Lodge. We were offered a menu and chose the safest items. All items
were very good. This was the first time I had ever seen Kidneys on Toast as a
breakfast option. I wonder how many select it.
After eating
we drove past Napier to Hastings for its weekly Farmers Market. Fresh eggs,
honey, hot sauces, candies, and cheeses were offered in booths and tents in a
park- like setting. The weather was sunny and the green of the park and the
blooms on the New Zealand flowers added a lot to the atmosphere. Bought a piece
of walnut brittle.
Driving back
into Napier, we stopped by the waterfront park as there appeared to be another
Farmers Market going on. This was actually a swap meet activity with people
selling old books, tools, knitware, and assortments of vegetables. One wild
looking man was selling moonshine that was offered in reused two liter soda
bottles. We passed on this.
We had
brought some laundry with us in the hopes of finding a laundromat somewhere in
Napier. The rest of our morning was spent driving around the town looking for
one. Came back to the Lodge where Donna took a nap. Not a good idea to drink
Starbucks instant before bed. That and the change to NZ daylight saving time
caught us short on sleep.
Later we
drove to Napier, found the laundry and sat out in the sun while our clothes got
washed and dried. At 5 PM Jes and Eilene joined us for wine and snacks. The
Reisling wine served was from their own grapes. Their fields are contracted out
to a winery that does all the work.
September 30,
2013: NAPIER TO WELLINGTON
After a nice
breakfast served to us by host Jes Roddy,, we drove to Wellington through green
fields covered with flocks of sheep, deep valleys, and as we approached the
country's capital, the blue green of the Tasman Sea on our right. We had a
choice of routes and were glad we followed the western one as we could see
storm clouds in the east. At one time our path along the road had black clouds
on the left and sunny skies on the right as we neared our destination.
It was
confusing as we entered the city due to some steady rain and our erroneous
assumption that we would arrive from the south of the bay on which the city is
built. After a brief drive down some streets we could recognize on the map, we
arrived at the James Cook Grand Chancellor Hotel. Our room was on the 20th
floor with a view of surrounding skyscrapers. While technically a Lambdon Room,
we dubbed our room the Fujitsu Room after the gigantic neon lights outside and
above our large windows.
We parked the
car in the garage earlier and decided we would leave it there for the duration
until we take the ferry on Thursday. Despite the rain we walked down toward the
quay stopping at a Pita Pit restaurant for Thai chicken pita sandwich we
shared.
The weather
was forecasted to be better on Tuesday, so we returned to our lofty room and
read and watched television.
MISCELLANEOUS
NOTES ABOUT NEW ZEALAND
Streaky
bacon- American bacon strips
Torches-
flashlights
Take away- to
go
Long Black-
black coffee
Roundabouts
instead of signaled intersections
Political
signs everywhere
Green hills
Cycads- fern
trees
Sheep
everywhere
Chirping
pedestrian Walk/Don't Walk signals
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