Surprise birthday trip

At Pacifica restaurant

View from Te Mata Peak

One of the Art Deco style buildings in downtown Napier

Waterfront at Napier

I knew Kris had been planning something special for an anniversary/Christmas/birthday present, but he let me think we were going into Wellington on Wednesday the 29th for a shopping day. Well, Tuesday morning we woke up to torrential rains and fierce winds. Kris suggested we go to a coffee shop, so I loaded up a few things. We stopped by the church, but as we left, he turned the wrong way for the cafe. Here is our conversation:

Megan: "Where are you going?"

Kris: "Oh, I wanted to stop by the pharmacy first."

Megan: "It's a bit out of the way."

(We pass by the pharmacy)

Megan: "You passed it."

Kris: "I know; I just thought we could go on an adventure today."

(thinking that was code for 'I made a wrong turn') "It's not really a great day for an adventure."

He started to drive out of town, so I said "Do I need a camera for this adventure?"

Kris: "Yes; I brought it."

Megan: "But I need batteries."

Kris: "I know, I brought them too."

Megan: "What's going on??"

Finally he told me he was taking me away to Hastings and Napier in Hawke's Bay for a few days! He had everything packed, and I had no idea! Meanwhile, it continued to downpour and blow, and we were forced to turn around due to the pass being closed about 45 minutes into the drive. It was a long detour, but it took us along the stormy, wild ocean! It rained most of the way there, but we enjoyed seeing new parts of the country as we headed north and east. Hawke's Bay is known for its fruit and vegetables, and its vineyards. We stayed at the very dated Angus Inn in Hastings.

We did some shopping (part of my present was shopping for a new outfit), then drove in to Napier and walked along the waterfront and the main shops. The city was destroyed by an 1931 earthquake and fire, and much of it was rebuilt in the Art Deco style.

The next day, my 28th birthday, Kris had booked us a bicycle tour through wine country, which I have wanted to do for years! They set us up with bikes, helmets, a box lunch, water, and a map, and off we went. There were 8 vineyards along the 25 km route, and we stopped at all but one of them. Most of the ride was on paved roads, but occasionally it took us off the roads and through olive groves and apple orchards. We enjoyed tasting the wines and seeing the different styles of tasting cellars, eating our picnic lunch; by the time we hit the last one we were getting a bit "puffed" as they say here. We bought 3 bottles of wine, which the company picked up for us and brought back to their headquarters. It was a perfect day!

After that, we drove up to the summit of Te Mata Peak, which gives 360 degree views of the entire area; it would have been even more spectacular had it been a clear day. For dinner we ate at Pacifica, Napier's "Best Restaurant". The portions were small, but beautifully presented and tasty. After dinner, we spent awhile in the Ocean Spa pools, a nice end to our day of riding.

The next day we walked through the Centennial Gardens near the beach, and discovered a really cool waterfall and pond. We walked down the street to the St. John the Baptist Anglican Cathedral. It was really interesting to see pictures of it after the destruction and rebuilding after the quake. We did some more shopping, visited Opossum World (complete with possum sweaters and a history of possums in NZ), and ate lunch at an Irish pub. On the way out of town, we stopped at the Silky Oak Chocolate Museum, "the only chocolate museum in the southern hemisphere". Unfortunately it wasn't worth paying the admission, so I just ate some chocolate instead! We also stopped at a couple of the many fruit stands along the highway for some fresh cherried and broccoli.

It was a wonderful trip and I loved being surprised! In our travels so far, we have always enjoyed the places but come away with a renewed appreciation for Lower Hutt as our home.