Spent a day in Napier - there was an earthquake there in 1931 and most of the place was destroyed, so the whole place was done up in art-deco styley - people flock there to see the architecture and have art-deco conferences and stuff. Treated myself to a single room in the Criterion Art Deco Backpackers (after working for so many yrs at the Criterion restaurant in Clacton thought i had to stay there). As i was in my own room i treated myself to a Hells Gate mud pack for my face, so had to suffer the slight whiff of sulpher yet again. Some old birds from New York i met at Rotorua said the best thing they've done in NZ is being pulled along in a trailer pulled by a tractor along the beach at Napier at sunrise. So looked into it, but due to the tides it would have been at 2pm, so didn't have time to fit in it. Oh well, at least i didn't have to get up early. After looking at the architecture there was not much else to do apart from seafront aquariums and marine parks. A nice place to visit at the height of summer.