Napier: 11-13 October

I got off the bus around 1:30 in Taupo and looked around for Feli. She wasn’t around. I no clue which way to go so I chose to go right because that was where the Lake Taupo was (NZ’s largest lake). When I got to the cross walk, who did I see in her typical Bench jacket, Feli! I screamed her name and she saw me. We both got great big grins of out face! It was so good to see a familiar face! She had been in Taupo for the last two weeks working for accommodation at a hostel. So she wanted to get out of Taupo ASAP. She took me to her hostel and showed me a bit around town. We then went to the lake. Across the lake were some snow-covered mountains! So beautiful!

After seeing a bit of the town, I was fine to leave right away as well. We booked a bus ticket and then got some food at Burgerfuel. The burgers or chicken sandwiches here are the size of your face and they go so so great with sweet potato fries! At 5:30 we were off to Napier!

The weather leaving Taupo was windy and rainy. It was like this the whole bus ride to Napier as well. Rain turning into sleet, back to rain, to snow, back to sleet, all with wind. Quite the bus ride! When we got to Napier the weather had calmed down but it was very chilly out. We got settled at our hostel, Archie’s Bunker, which did look and feel like a bunker. It was night out so we walked around town for a bit and went and got some groceries. We had a night full of laughs and wine. :)

The next morning I was craving a real full on breakfast because I had been living off toast and cereal for breakfast for the last three weeks… We found a very good place called Café Ujazi. Yum Yum Yum. I had the typical bacon, eggs, and toast but they made it different then how boring it actually sounds. Feli had some of the most delicious blueberry and banana pancakes I had ever had. These cakes had to be at least two inches thick! This day we decided to go to the aquarium in town and then do a nice hike. The weather is so sparatic in NZ that even if it a nice morning it can turn out to be rainy and windy an hour later, and that’s what it was like throughout the day. So the aquarium was an overpriced bust. Oh well. The hike turned out to be a very nice one though. We walked up to and around Bluff Hill and then walked back down through Napier’s Botanical Garden. It was very beautiful with many of the bush flowers in full bloom!

Feli!

Love Spring bloom!

That night again was full of laughs, a yummy dinner and then a movie where we finished a large soda, large popcorn, and a bag of peanut M&M's. Oops! Everywhere we go people think we are a couple… I am starting to see why. :P

The next morning we had planned on taking a 35km bike tour to some wineries, a chocolate factory, and an alehouse. The morning was a misty, rainy morning but we decided to start the bike tour and suck it up because we figured the weather would change. Change it did not. We were about 45 minutes into the tour, completely soaked from head to toe, and cold. So we turned around and went back to the bunker. Immediately took warm showers and made some lunch and tea to warm up. After lunch, the owner of the hostel felt bad for us so he lent us the hostels van to go do the tour! We ask a girl, Gabriel from Israel, who was staying in our room to join us and she did! We all had a blast trying to drive this manual diesel van. It was the first time Feli and I drove on the roads in NZ! Woohoo!! :P

Lovely drive...

Oh boy...

OHHH boy...

Since it was afternoon we only had time to make it to one winery. We went the Church Road winery. We did a cellar tour there and saw how and were they made their wine. It was a very good tour!

The red wine room, a.k.a. my favorite room. :)

Yes, I quite agree.

After that we drove to the chocolate factory to have a highly recommended Hot Chocolate Extreme. WOW, it was amazing.  Basically it was melted chocolate in a cup, covered with whipped cream and pepper flakes to add a spicy touch. Mmmmm.

Mmmmmmmm.

Yep, yep, yep.

By the time we got the alehouse it was closed. So we headed back to the bunker and made another yummy dinner. The next morning we had an early bus ride to Wellington so it was a nice chill night with of course, more wine.

Cram. Shove. Squish. Zip and off to Wellington!