Gisborne to
Naiper
Since the
weather was yucky and just getting worse we decided to just get on the road and
give exploring Gisborne a pass, especially since we kept hearing nice things
about Naiper. The drive had some twisty switch back roads again, with lots of
‘wash outs’ but we easily made up time in the long straight stretches between.
The sun was fighting all afternoon to come out, but we were stuck up in the
clouds in the hills again for most of the drive. We stopped about half way in
Wairoa for a quick snack and were pleasantly surprised to find such a nice
little café, Café 287, just outside of town. After getting our sugar fix it was
on Naiper with about 110 more km to go!
We found the
Naiper YHA easily enough and got ourselves sorted with the nice English manager
Bob. The YHA in Naiper is right on the water on the south side of Naiper and
our ocean view room was such a treat with its big windows! The Gisborne/Naiper
region is well known for its wine production so we went in search of a winery
that we could explore with the rest of our daylight. We made it out to the
Mission Winery just outside of town and were able to explore around the old
house and taste some of their yummy wines. Got a bottle for us and a couple
more as gifts! Back in town we decided to make the short walk into the centre
to see all the Art Deco Architecture Naiper is known for. After the 1931
earthquake the town was rebuilt in the Art Deco Style. After relaxing back at
the hotel for a bit we went down the street to have dinner at an Indonesian
restaurant (the only one in NZ!) and had a tradition Rajstaffel meal. This
consisted of rice and many small dishes with different meats and veggies. The
small restaurant was run by a nice older Dutch gentleman and was decorated with
wonderful authentic Indonesian masks, shadow puppets, and art. Chatting with
him at the end of our meal we learned that he had travelled extensively to
Indonesia and highly recommended me visiting. Was a delicious meal and great
service! So far we vote the YHA in Naiper as the best place we’ve stayed too.
Naiper to
Wellington
We only had one
night in Napier so we were up early and on the road to Wellington. We stopped
in Greytown for lunch and enjoyed the sun out on the deck of a café. It was a
nice drive through the wine country of Naiper/Hastings with beautiful rolling
hills – a refreshing change from the tight switch back roads we experienced
during the beginning of our trip. After lunch we drove up and over the Tararua
Range where there were stunning views of the valley below as we drove up and up
– I have to confess that I closed my eyes once or twice (thankfully Dan was
driving for this part)! It was a long way down, and the big logging trucks
coming around each bend the opposite direction didn’t help my nerves. Once on
the other side it was an easy drive down to the Wellington Harbour. Wellington
is situated at the opposite end of the bay as you drive south so you have great
views of it across the harbour coming into the city. So beautiful – wish I had
gotten a picture of it. Once we made it down town we got a bit lost and drove
around in circles for a bit to find the hotel and parking but once we got
settled in we ventured out for some dinner into the Cuba section of town just
after sundown. The next day we had a lazy morning but finally made it out to go
see the Te Papa Museum. It was a great place to get a sense of the culture of
NZ and learn about the rich history here.
That night we
had tickets to the Hurricanes (Wellington)
v Crusaders (Christchurch) rubgy game. I never made it to any of the world cup
games last year, so it was a treat to see all the players I had watched on TV
live. We happened to walk by the hotel the players were staying at on our way
to the stadium and see them getting onto their bus. There are some LARGE men
that play rugby! Our seats were next to a really friendly older couple that had
flown up from Christchurch for the game. The Crusaders home stadium had been so
badly damaged in the earthquake that they were only able to see their team at
away stadiums. We decided to root for the Crusaders and were rewarded with a
win! Lots of fun. J
Wellington to Hamilton
Next morning we were up early and on the road for the 6.5 hr drive back up to Hamilton. The road goes pretty much straight up through the middle of the island, past Mount Ruapehu (one of the mountains used as Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies) and Lake Taupo. We wanted to make it back up to Hamilton in decent time so only stopped for a quick lunch and a couple pictures. Would have loved to explore the Lake Taupo region more, but I guess that will have to be the next trip! Hope you all enjoy the pictures; sorry it took me forever to post everything from the trip.
Xoxo
Mission Winery
Mission Winery
Mission Winery
Naiper
Naiper
Naiper
Hurricanes vs. Crusaders
Mt. Raupehu
Mt. Ngauruhoe and Mt. Tongariro
Lake Taupo
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