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Well I was hoping that as I headed north that the weather would be "nicer". It is, but it depends on what time of the day you look out the window. On the upside I have done plenty of reading and having a warming wood fire at night is rather homely. This housesit has also provide me with a first - an earthquake evacuation kit. I haven't been through it in detail but it mainly seems to be about the dogs - food, medication that sort of thing. I think there's a few "human" contents but I'm hoping that I don't need to find out. Napier is renowned for a few things. An abundance of wineries, the 1931 earthquake that completely wiped out the town centre and the resultant rebuild that has produced one of the most complete collections of Art Deco buildings in the world. Napier seems to revolve around its Art Deco heritage. Not only the buildings but the stores that sell articles from the period, art works in the street, the annual Art Deco weekend that attracts thousands, it seems to be a major part of the town's DNA. The Art Deco tour that I book turns out to be just me and Derek, my guide - so it's very personalised. Of the 160 odd building that were constructed after the earthquake there are still around 140 still in existence today. The amazing thing is that the city rebuild was completed in 2 years, thanks in part to the abundance of available labour due to the Depression. The buildings are overseen by a trust to ensure that they are maintained properly and grants are given to the owners to undertake maintenance, such as painting etc.
Napier is also endowed with a huge amount of street art. All the art works are connected by the theme of man's interaction with the ocean and the environment. As such they are decorative as well as containing a message.
Unfortunately my time in Napier has been somewhat disrupted by very unseasonal weather The whole of NZ has been hit by cold front after cold front for about a week. Rain and a bitterly cold south wind coming straight off the Antarctic has made being outside unpleasant. Even the locals are suffering so I'm not being a soft Aussie! As a result I haven't seen as much as I intended but on the flip side I have managed to read 4 books. Tomorrow I head to my next housesit in Kaikohe, which is about 230kms north of Auckland in the Bay of Islands area. Hopefully it will be little warmer up there.
- comments
Harry Hay. Global warming in Napier ???? Is N.Z's cost of energy as high, comparatively, as in Australia ???
Sue A Glad you haven’t needed to put the evacuation plan into action. I remember the evacuation plans in our hotel in Mexico City which luckily we didn’t need but of course we know others like Pilar who have. Hope the weather improves.
Sarah Moaning about the weather? Sounds like you’re turning into a whingeing pom! Jealous of the fire and the opportunity to read 4 books. Will send you a proper catch up e-mail soon.