Hawkes Bay and Beyond

Well! Another adventure is here. I feel like I continually wonder what is around the corner. Recently it has been RAIN. The words from other New Zealand travelers who we met in Fiji keep echoing in my ears: "We just spent 3 weeks in NZ and it didn't rain once during the day!" Downpour has been following us around everywhere so far. But I really can't complain as we discovered that our two man tent with rain fly rocks! (Photos)

Spending the day in Napier in the drizzle, however, wasn't so bad. We just drank wine all day! No, we are not drunks I promise - the Hawkes Bay region is wine country. After hiking up to a beautiful overlook in the 1931 art deco town we decided to stop off at CJ Pask and Trinity Hill Wineries. We enjoyed fresh bread, cheese, hummus, fruit and veggies from a local organic market while we tasted a variety of local vino. Luckily, their pours weren't quite like the ones at Ponte in Temecula so we were able to see straight driving afterwards. (Photos)

We headed south along the coast to a tent camp just south of Clifton and pitched our tent about 20 feet from the sound of crashing waves. The ocean roared all night while I slept like a baby. After a quick breakfast we began an intense 20km coastal hike out to Cape Kidnappers - what views! You see, the tight walk is on the rocks and sand between the surf and the towering cliffs. Therefore, it is vital we left at the beginning of low tide so five hours later we can finish as the tide is flowing back in. The geology is stunning and dramatic. As we meandered along the coastline, a few gannet bird colonies came into view. Cape Kidnappers is a gannet reserve, as these avian nest here this time of year before they migrate to Australia. The final part of the hike was up a steep hill (after passing cow and sheep of course) to the largest colony of hundreds of gannets. I could do without the smell of bird poo but the ocean views were amazing. Ok, so maybe it didn't rain today...it was beautiful. I was being just a tad dramatic earlier.

This afternoon we made our way south to Palmerston North, pitched our tent at a holiday park (NZ word for campground) by a river and made our way here to an Internet cafe before dinner - stir fry tonight. The weather report calls for sunshine and temps in the mid 70s tomorrow thankfully. I don't know what we plan to do just yet, but if it's in the sun I am game! We definitely brought the right combo of clothing for all climates thus far. Enjoy the pics, especially the one with the curiously shaped carrot:)