So let's pick this up, we are just leaving Lake Rotorua where it smells of sulphur but is rich in Mauri history and on our way to Lake Taupo. On our way we stop at Huka Falls, a super fast and deep river and waterfall that comes from Lake Taupo. You can get a get boat right up to the falls for a bit of a thrill but we decide to look at them from above which is about $200 cheaper and just as lovely - especially as the sun has popped out again (a great chance to dry the tent on the car, have a little kip post-camping, and to change my top just before a bus load of tourists approach, super).
Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand. It was created by volcanic eruptions and is filled with freshwater. Facts. Better than this though there is a cute little wine cafe and cellar right on the lake front which has a fabulous selection of local and European wines. Even better than this though you can buy the wine by the glass at $6 a glass ooooor you can buy a bottle from the far vaster selection in the cellar from about $18. Get in! And it is a lovely sunny day so it would be rude not to try a local Sav right? (we get very drunk at this point and have a deep heart-to-heart about life but I can't remember what we discovered about each other - oh well can't have been that interesting).
Meeting up again with Jon and Felicity tonight (who now think we are stalking them - which we are) we head to another natural spa. They are in agony after a day trek across the Alpine Crossing, through snow and craters and such. They thought we might like to try it but sadly I'm just a bit too lazy and I think Duncan and I would get a divorce if he forced mountain walk on me. But the relaxing spa bit afterwards is nice! :) This one has individual, private spa bath rooms all at different temperatures ranging from 40degrees to 37degrees. All are connected by the filter system which some random guy in another room beat boxes down for our pleasure. haha. Moving into the outdoor pool we see a sign saying not to put your head underwater as this could cause a form of meningitis ( the water is naturally heated by the minerals which in turn causes a rapid rate of bacteria growth even though the water is changed every day) Jon has a super 'man panic' about getting ill as we all put our heads under the water already - oops - but the workerman assures us there is a very minimal chance of getting it the sign is just to stop any lawsuits! Although he did say the chance of women getting a urinary infection is quite high - hmmm cranberry juice anyone?
The following day we all head to Napier - wine and Art Deco city. Duncan and I checked out Havestock North (lovely Alderly Edge/Cheshire type village) and Hastings (bit Crewe like). Wandering around Havestock North I spy a lovely dress shop where I spend about an hour (or so...) trying on skirts and dresses which cost about 5 days worth of budget. Duncan must really love me??! :)
Napier is indeed wine country with about 76 wineries in the area, so it would be rude not to spend a day trying a few wouldn't it? We hire bikes (at a hustled down price - cheers Jon!) from our lovely hostel (Archie's Bunker) along with some fantastic information from the owner on the best route to take to take us via a sheep wool factory shop, several wineries, a chocolate factory and ale/cider brewery. Cycling along the waterfront and through the vineyards is blissful in the beautiful sunshine. Our first stop is Mission Estate Vineyard and Winery - this place is gorgeous! and the wines aren't bad either! We try the first Ice Wine either of us has tasted, although they are usually made in Austria and Germany due to the fact that the grapes never freeze here in Napier. This wine is made by freezing the grapes once they have gotten to the sweet, overripe, shrivelled stage in a freezer. Still very yummy though! Next stop is Church Road Winery, which is the oldest winery in Napier. After a relaxed lunch of bread and cheese we try a few of the award-winning wines. We're not as fond of them as the wines we tried previously and Jonathan lets them know....one hour of debating the wine follows... the next winery is closing down sadly and the wine tasting of Chardonnay or Merlot from a plastic bottle isn't that enticing. The day is now fading into late afternoon and everywhere is closing so a quick call ahead to Brookfields Winery, a speedy beg to stay open as we are cycling and an even faster bike ride we manage to get a few tastings in before the end of the day! Lucky as this was the nicest wine we tried and since we were at the end of the ride we filled our boots...or rucksacks anyway! Again we race on to the cider/ale house and again it is closing, so again we beg for them to stay open for just half an hour more for a quick beer (since we rode our bikes there and everything!!) And luckily as everyone is so friendly and accommodating in NZ we get a pint in! yay! We ride back to our hostel a tad merry and with super achy bottoms! But seeing as we're out we head into Napier for a few more wines... and discover a lovely cocktail bar which creates bespoke cocktails based on what you like and don't like. Awesome! I get an orangey, vodkary, limey, lemon thing and Duncan has a Japanesey, vodka, cucumber thing - can anyone else see the evil face in the cocktail or was I just really drunk???
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| Brewery |
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| Mission Estate |
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| Evil face in cocktail? |
With achy muscles the following day Duncan and I stay in the hostel and watch a super-marathon of 7 movies back-to-back. That is all.
We decide to brave the outside world again the next day to find the local farmers market in Hastings. The food here is fantastic, I wish we could buy loads of the fresh meat and veg on offer but as we have no fridge it would mainly go to waste. We settle for coffee, bread, free range eggs, indulgent cakes and just as the rain pelts down a bacon sandwich!
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| mmm save some for me! |
The other great thing about Napier is the beauty of the buildings. Napier area is along a fault line and in 1931 suffered a huge 7.1 Richter scale earthquake which devastated the town and caused hundreds of deaths and causalities. The upshot of this horrific natural disaster though is that the town was completely rebuilt in the 1930's making this a real stand-alone town in which all the buildings are art deco. It really is like stepping back in time! Exploring the town is fantastic and I think this has to be my favourite place in New Zealand so far - wineries, art deco, sea. lake's and mountains all on your doorstep - lush!
The owner of the hostel we are at owns another retreat out in the mountains back towards Lake Taupo and has offered us a special deal rate - we deliver a box of overalls and we get a free night camping - it's a done deal! This place is gorgeous, set in the mountains, a river running below with loads of adventure activities on offer in the surrounding grounds - sweet as! But we are the only guests, and we soon figure out why. No, the place isn't dodgy - it is bloody freezing in the mountains in November! Actual heat-air is coming from my mouth - you know the type where you pretend to smoke when you're a kid? brrrrr. So like a survival expert, I make like Bear Grylls.... I check every lodge door until I find one that has been left unlocked - result! We are very aware that we are 'breaking the law' and will probably be taken down the cop shop if we are discovered (haha) so get up at 5:30am and head back into the tent (we're not very good criminals.) Time to go back to lower ground and back to Lake Taupo.
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| Mounatin Valley - we are the little car blob on our own :) |
More photos on Facebook as usual!
Another update coming soon soon soon - I have hogged the free internet for nearly 3 hours now though! oops!
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