Napier: Day Hundred and Six (2 February)

Into Napier early today as Miss Robb's Mummy had a hair appointment. The lady cut it really short. It made her look like Susan from Neighbours!

Afterwards we had a quick look round Napier Cathedral and then met up with Judy and Wilf for a drive to Hastings via Havelock North and Te Mata Lookout. It was a bit murky but the views we could see were amazing.

We had lunch in a delightful cafe in Hastings then drove back via Park Estate winery. Hawkes Bay is another of New Zealand's main wine producing areas.

We dropped Judy and Wilf in Onekawa and headed in to explore Napier's famous art deco architecture. The city was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and the citizens decided to rebuild it in what was then the most fashionable style. The fountain and gardens along the seafront are particularly lovely and we even managed to find Rush Munro ice cream (Miss Robb's favourite antipodean brand) :-).

Barnaby

Napier: Day One Hundred and Five (1 February)

Another gorgeous, sunny day :-).

We had an easy drive from Palmerston North to Onekawa, a suburb of Napier, where we were going to stay with descendants of New Zealanders who used to send food parcels to Miss Robb's grandparents during World War Two. Miss Robb's Mummy managed to meet Ursula and John when she visited New Zealand in 1991 but unfortunately they have both since died.

Our hosts were their daughter, Judy, and her husband, Wilf. Their younger daughter, Christine, is a writer and has had a couple of novellas published in the U.K. Here we are at her house. Morris and I were a bit nervous because she had a dog.

Barnaby