So coming to the end of our static 2 weeks stay here in Napier, the flat has been a great place to be based. We have got ourselves into such a routine now its as if we know the surround very well and even have our favourite morning coffee place !!

The weather got better as time went on, and has been very hot this last week as in red, red, red sunburn hot, i did go to the pharmacy to get more sun cream and was told they arent allowed to sell below 30 here, trouble is 30 is like lard but im having to wear it on my nose and eek out the other factor 20 i have that does rub in.

NAPIER had a Dewali , the indian festival of light on saturday. Its not till November officially as we know from the fireworks occuring in England the week after Guy Fawkes, but they had it here early as a celebration of cultural mixing . It was well supported and a good turn out to eat the curry from the stalls and watch the Bollywood dancing on the stage.


This week the cruise ships have started arriving, it seems one each day.


Napier makes a huge effort and each day there is a bagpipe band in the town, plus lots of 1920's cars and people in the 20's clothes to match the Art Deco buildings.



The town gets swamped with tourists for a few hours, great for the shops and town, we found it very jolly and our fave coffee place always had a Jeeves type band playing, in full costume of course.



Had one grim cold dull day so we matched it by going to a grim dark place .................the Napier Old Prison.

It haD been left just as it was when they closed it.............., quite good they actually open the little slot on the door as you approach the huge gates and say do you want to come in and then they lock the door behind you ! We were the only ones in there and wandered around with the audio tape on the self guide tour................it was rather eeirie, the shower blocks, the loos, the gallows, and then the grubby cells...................it was a grubby dark side of life, must have been awful working in there.

Took photo of Tom as i pleaded with them to keep him in............




He in turn took a photo of me..................cheek!


Had a great curry here in Napier last night, have to say spot on authentic and would give Saffrons or the New Bombay in Bedford a run for their money, the lamb so succulently tender. We went there with Sal and Alan our upstairs hosts, will be sad to say goodbye to them as they are really nice people.

We are now going to head to Wellington tomorrow and spend 2 nights there and do the tourist bits, then we start the big South Island tour.

No doubt on the drive down tomorrow i will see thousands of sheep, whereas up north we saw thousands of cows, Friesians, Jerseys, Aryshires, all old names we had so many of in Ol' Blighty when i was a child, and now our dairy herds are seemingly decimated. Even in Kingsbury North London we had herds of cows, in Barn Hill opposite. Its only when you see so many you think yes whats happened to all of ours?