Day 8 I was the designated driver of the day. The navigation voice echoed inside our family bat mobile instructing me to turn left towards Napier Road. When I did, I bid farewell to Taupo and saw the lake disappear from the rear view mirror. I was the mastermind behind including Hawke's Bay into our itinerary even though we could have driven straight to Wellington. Why? For I was lured by two things- Art Deco Architecture and Wine.
After a lengthy deliberation with Yohann during our itinerary planning, I managed to convince all of them to stay for one night, enough time to spend for a city stroll and indulge in "grape juice." That is, if I could convince Yohann to drive when and if we go for the tasting since he doesn't like wine. I presumed that my in-laws wouldn't object to this, because vineyards remind them of home and they are more inclined to take pleasure in winery tours.
Put pedal to the metal. I drove 146 kilometers from Taupo to Napier taking the scenic and meandering Route 5. Further up after the merge with State Highway 2, we found ourselves driving along the coast with the view of the Pacific Ocean next to us. This road will take you through the Hawke's Bay Airport.
After getting lost a few times, we finally found our hotel for the night. The inn exuded a puzzling vibe. It reminded me of a hospital. There were unusually wide corridors that could fit stretchers on either side and each room had double swing doors. Blame it on my day job since I used to design hotel rooms day in day out. By default, I always scrutinize nooks and crannies of every place I visit and renovate them in my head. Yet, the energies in this place revealed there's more history stored there than meets the eye.
After depositing our bags in our rooms, we quickly reunited in the shared brightly lit kitchen to prepare our sandwiches and leftovers for lunch. There was an adjacent cozy-looking garden area that we have never used during our stay. It would have been perfect otherwise if it were not for the unusually cold weather. Instead, we ate our meal at the dining table in front of a gramophone and a set of vinyl records along the wide corridor that was transformed into a main room. Later, we learned that it really used to be a hospital after reading a marker during a night stroll.
Napier Port Hawke's Bay - Port Ahuriri
After lunch, we headed out and Yohann took the wheel. We drove for 5 minutes and found Ahuriri Harbour, a seaside settlement along the Ahuriri Estuary on the other side of Napier Hill. The National Tobacco Building is a photography-worthy Art Deco architectural gem that you will find here. We were impressed by the cafes, bars and restaurants housed in re-developed shipyard buildings on the quay. It was a quiet afternoon with hints of nightlife about to come alive after sunset. We took a short stroll along the wharf before driving towards the streets of Napier. Cycling along the quay is definitely a great idea.
Napier is New Zealand's Art Deco capital. Vintage car and roaring twenties vibe next to the Pacific. The city was built in the 1930s after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that destroyed it in 1931.
When I suggested that we visit the museum (MTG), the rest of the family at first groaned at the idea. (Museum and art junkie here) I threw myself a celebratory high five when I managed to convince them. It was worth the visit as we learned more about the said earthquake and the history of Napier. It is a destination for art exhibitions, cultural events and home to the region's permanent collection of historic treasures. It made us appreciate the Marine Parade even more having seen the resilience of this city that gave birth to its transformation.
If you look close enough, the Napier Arch at the Colonnade lined with Norfolk Pines has inscriptions that say, "The pathway to power lies through service." I found another one, *"Courage is the thing, all goes if courage goes." "Without vision, the people perish." *
i-Site Visitor Information Center is located at the Marine Parade. A family friendly area that offers various activities such as the National Aquarium, Par2Mini Golf, Ocean Spa, Bay Skate and photo ops at the Viewing Platform.
Art Deco Architecture
There are city guided tours but we are fans of DIY. We explored the inner city shops and cafes. I was more enthralled by the art deco motifs on each building than the immediate satisfaction of retail therapy but I would be lying to say if I wasn't tempted to grab a donut and coffee in one of the cafes here. The highlights are found on Tennyson Street (the start of all walking tours), Hastings Street and Emerson Street.
Art Murals & Sculptures
Hawke's Bay is home to many of New Zealand's popular artists, photographers, designers, musicians and film makers. Random art murals inspired creativity from every street corner. Must-see: Marine Parade scupltures and Seawalls - Murals for Oceans
Food & Wine
There are so many gastronomic and winery tours available at the visitor information center to choose from. These made us reel with confusion even before drinking any wine, more so that we decided not to go for any of them. Firstly, they were expensive, secondly, we were traveling on a budget and thirdly, the rest of the family wasn't keen on it. One of the challenges of traveling as a family was - we all wanted different things and at some point we had to agree on activities that would be agreeable to everyone. Since France is home to vineyards and wineries, we skipped the wine tasting tour. As part of our compromise should the winery allow, we all planned to visit one without drinking the next day.
Day 9
True enough, once we've all checked out and our bags were crammed inside the trunk, we were all en route to Mission Estate Winery, New Zealand's oldest winery established in 1851 by French missionaries and the birthplace of New Zealand Wine. The staff was kind enough to let us in and take pictures without the tour. One even gave my daughter a white rose. If I were to go back there again, I would most probably try the wine tasting given the breathtaking landscape overlooking the vineyard from their garden terrace. I can imagine it as an idyllic venue for weddings.
Tui Brewery Guided Tour and Beer Tasting, Mangatainoka
We were on our way to Wellington so we were up for a long drive. Yohann and I agreed to take turns if one was tired and feeling sleepy. Somewhere during a short stop, on the wall was a poster of Tui Brewery Guided Tours. Tui was the first beer I tried that made me appreciate beer. I wrote a special article on this beer brewery guided tour and beer tasting. Mangatainoka was on the way to Wellington with a brief detour. I immediately called Tui Brewery for an appointment and tour reservation in the hopes that we could make it on time. And we did!
Check out our family video at 0:45 on Napier, Hawke's Bay and Tui Brewery Guided Tours below
To be continued...
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