Our next stop was in Napier. In 1931 they had a huge earthquake here. They gained 40 square kilometers of seabed that became part of the land during that earthquake. It reshaped the map of land of the North Island of New Zealand. What was once a lagoon was lifted up over 2.7 meters and became dry land. It is now the site for the local airport. It destroyed the city and when the town decided to rebuild, they rebuilt the entire city in art deco (like 1920’s Paris). They built 112 buildings in 2 years. This city is considered the Art Deco capital of the world. The art deco trust was founded in 1985 and many of the buildings are on their register. They also have a vintage car tour where you can be driven around in vintage car of that art deco era. They had them parked next to our ship when we returned for the day. They have a wonderful national aquarium and a wonderful botanical garden in Napier, but those were not one of our stops. If you have ever been to Copenhagen and seen the statue of the little mermaid on coastline, they have one similar not far from the port which the locals call the Pania of the Reef.
Napier is the 2nd largest wine growing area in New Zealand. There are over 100 wineries in the region. In 1957, the 1st winery in Napier was developed by the French missionaries who came here. After 19 years of making their own wine, they started selling it internationally.
Bernie, our guide for 4 hours, shared with us some things about New Zealand. He said that the three top exports from New Zealand are dairy products, meat, and timber. He said the population of Napier is 66,000. Another big crop beside wineries in this area is the New Zealand Gala apple and that this area is the apple capitol of New Zealand. They do not waste the very fertile land here on cattle or sheep grazing but use it for crops. They have figured out a way to grow apples on my like a vine rather than a tree, which saves time and allows the fruit to grow bigger. They are also much easier to pick! We toured some honey spots (honey is big business in New Zealand!) – Arataki Honey where my sister in law got into a bee costume. We also went to some overlooks high in the hills for some gorgeous over looks. The name of that gorgeous spot was Te Mata Peak. I highly recommend a stop there! The views were amazing! We also stopped at Centennial Gardens to see a beautiful waterfall with pretty flowers all around. We even got to stop at a beach for a couple of minutes to stretch our legs. Our last stop was in town at local park to see the Pou – like a Māori totem pole of sorts.
Messina Musings 