Napier and Hawke’s Bay is definitely a place to add to your visit list if you are in New Zealand. It is Easter weekend and the kiwis make it a 4 day holiday. Most stores are closed Friday and Monday. Luckily tourist oriented stores and restaurants are open. On holidays many establishments will add a 15% surcharge to their bills because their employees have to work on a holiday. They feel people should be compensated extra when having to work on a holiday.

We had stopped at a local grocery store last night to buy some breakfast items, figuring we would eat in our “bach” (kiwi term for cottage) then go exploring. We did head out for coffee after breakfast and found a fabulous little cafe hidden in the old fishing port area of Napier, called ”Ahuriri”, now a bustling area of shops, bars and restaurants. Even though I already had breakfast, when ordering coffee I saw they had freshly made hot cross buns which I really like. One called out to me and I had my second breakfast of the morning while enjoying our coffees!

We had wanted to go see the gannet colony that seasonally nests in the area called Cape Kidnappers but we learned that the only way to see them is to hike 5 miles alongside the beach or take a tour via tractor, but it can only be done a low tide. Well, the older folks in our group voted for the tractor but we learned that the tour was sold out for the entire weekend. We were put on a waiting list but never got a call. Maybe next time.

Instead we drove to a marvelous lookout called “Te Mata Peak”. Again Scott and Jess wanted to walk up to the viewpoint but the elders in the car convinced them it was much nicer to drive up as far as we could before climbing the last few feet. It is an absolutely stunning location-360 degree views of green rolling hills, studded with groves of trees and biking/hiking trails. It reminded me of the area near Napa Valley as you cross the mountain range.

After numerous pictures it was time for some wine tasting and lunch. Well, it so happens this is all in the area of the Hawke’s Bay Winery country, a miniature version of Napa Valley. We wandered back to Elephant Hill Winery where we stopped last night (but could not taste wine as we were there after 5 PM). We quickly learned that because it was Good Friday the wine tasting room was closed.

Scott had received some recommendations from people who worked with him of other places to visit and we soon found ourselves sitting outside under a huge grape arbor at the Black Barn Vineyards. Again the wine tasting room was closed but the bistro was open for lunch. Because we had dinner reservations in Napier we did not want to overdo lunch so we created a charcuterie of bread, cheese, olives, and a couple of small salads, accompanied by their local wine. Our server was a young lady from France (we ran into a lot of young foreigners who are working in New Zealand for the summer) with a lovely accent and it all made for a magical luncheon.

On the way to the bach we stopped at a special weekend festival called the “Extravaganza Fair” that was advertised in the local press, hoping to find music, artisans and food. It turned out to be a roving caravan of  young, modern day gypsy hippies who travel from town to town in their home-built “motor” homes entertaining and selling homemade products and services. It was a hoot!  There was a fortune teller, a kissing booth (empty when we were there), blacksmith making and selling utensils, henna and face painting, a musician playing guitar, cotton candy and other food. Their “homes” were creative and often hilarious adaptations of a motor home. We spent about 20 minutes walking around and the ladies had cotton candy (because the sign said it had only two teaspoons of sugar in it) before we moved on. Fact check: All of us questioned the 2 teaspoons of sugar claim so I researched it. Turns out a typical cotton candy serving has 30 grams of sugar, which is 9 grams less than a can of Coke! Calorie content is 115 calories.  Who knew? So you can enjoy that cotton candy the next time you see it.

Back to our bach for a quick nap and then onward to a rousing game of miniature golf located in the park right across the street from our restaurant before our dinner “booking” at a local popular seafood restaurant. Seafood here is fresh, fresh, fresh, as you would expect.

By the way some kiwi terms we learned while here are:   Crosswalks are zebras, a car trunk is a boot, a cooler is a chilly bin, saying hi is kia ora, a popsicle is an ice block, a stroller is a pram, ketchup is tomato sauce, a cookie is a biscuit and a piece of candy is a lolly.

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