|
|
Napier
Nov. 18th - Touring Napier
AD allowed us to go and take an early
morning walk together today. We took a path along the tidal
pools. Getting up so early allowed us to spend time on
homework and still have a long day ahead of us.
 Afterwards
we went to the National Tobacco Co. building. It is an Art
Deco treasure designed by Louis Hay a famous NZ architect. The
lobby is open to be examined by the public. There are amazing
carved details in the doorway and moldings. Stained glass
decorate the skylight and windows. The odor of the factory was
overwhelming to AD. The ABS Bank building is one highlighted
for incorporating Moari patterns in the details. The ceiling
plasterwork is brightly painted to show it off.
We walked around and saw the central business district again.
I had a barber take off my beard. It had gotten quite shaggy.
We had lunch at a stand and then went to Marine Land of NZ. AD
loved the dolphin
 show
and the animal feeding time. It was amazingly cold and we
weren't dressed properly. The park is right on the ocean and
the winds blew stiffly. Afterwards we drove out to Taradale to
look at a Mc Donalds developed in an old Art Deco hotel.
Napier is dominated by a huge raised section that has been
built on by a 1000 houses. In this oldest area of Napier sits
the Botanical Gardens and the original cemetery.
The west shore area of Napier is a small spit of land between
the tidal pools and the ocean. Most of the hotels are out
there. We walked around looking at the house, and the harbor.
AD rode his scooter as we walked. Dinner was in the hotel room
again. We watched Queer Eye on a Straight Guy. It was
hysterical.
Nov 19th - Wellington
We left the pleasant city of Napier early
this morning. Fortunately the roads are not as twisting and
turning as from the north. I have had trouble in the back seat
from the jostling. There are lots of wineries in the area.
This part of NZ produces chardonnay. We tried one brand but
weren't thrilled with it. How do you know which is good when
picking it off the shelf? The straighter roads allowed us to
travel much faster today. Only problem is small town after
small town along the way.
 Wellington
is the capital of the country. It is on the far south end of
the north island. There is a huge protected harbor with lots
of freighters. The city has built itself in all directions as
far as the mountains will allow. The city center sports many
high-rises and an interesting capital building in the shape of
a contemporary beehive. We found a room right off, had lunch
and then set off exploring.
The main attraction is Te Papa, the national museum. It's an
interesting structure and one of the best museums I have ever
been to. There are many hands on stations for children to
interact with the subject and learn. The 2nd level is devoted
to the earth and environment. Earthquakes and volcanoes both a
daily force in NZ are examined. One display has a room which
on a TV allows you to live through an earthquake. There are
also sections devoted to the native species of plants,
animals, aquatic life and birds. AD was impressed by the Sperm
whale skeleton.
Upper levels of the museum have displays on NZ art, native
peoples, and the immigrants. NZ like the USA is a country who
grew on waves of immigration. The original settlers were from
the UK and Ireland since it was a British colony. Later
peoples came from other colonies like India, other European
countries and China. NZ and Australia were still advertising
for settlers after WWII. The presentation on this subject was
excellent.
 Wellington
is a very nice city. We had a ferry booked for tomorrow or we
would have spent another day exploring. There is another
interesting looking museum on the waterfront about the city's
history. The walks along the wharf are pedestrian friendly.
After 5, there was a lot of street life visible at outdoor
cafes.
The cost of everything in NZ has shocked us. I will try and
not complain about it again. We came expecting it to be
inexpensive. Some friends of ours had told us so. The only
trouble is they were here 3 years ago when the NZ dollar was
at 40 cents. Today it is at a 20 year high of 63 cents.
Needless to say a 50% decrease in purchasing power is drastic.
Our trip is at a terrible time as far as the value of the US
$. We took a friend to dinner at a pub-type establishment
(Fish and Chips kind of food.) The tab for the four of
us was about $35 US. Our lodging is running $50 to $80 a
night.
We didn't find South America especially
cheap, but it was compared to this country. AMEN. DW will had
to edit out any future comments. This is tragic because it is
effecting our selections of lodging and activities
drastically. There are many things we could do that AD would
enjoy but aren't because of the cost. We are too early in this
traveling to blow the budget even worse than South America has
done.
 |
AD Journal |
 |
|
Nov 18th
In Napier New Zealand they had a marine land. It had a show
with dolphins and sea lions. The dolphins could jump 19 feet
and touch a ball with their noses. One of the dolphins didn't
feel like jumping over a bar and swam in circles instead. The
sea lion performed on the stage clapping it's fins and
dancing. Sea lions cannot go in fresh water or they will go
blind.
Nov 19th
Today we went to a Museum called Te Papa in Wellington, New
Zealand . It had 5 different levels of exhibits. One exhibit
had games and I played two of them. They were mock wind
surfing and water skiing. In a another exhibit they had birds
and sea animals. The coolest thing was the sperm whale bones.
They were at least 50 feet long.
|
|
 |
 |
 |
to South Island...» |
|
