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Day 36 - Napier
Sightseeing day today especially as it is overcast with a Southerly wind blowing; had hoped for a beach day but not to be. Plenty to see in Napier though as it is an Art Deco town and that is my favourite period. It proved to be a costumier's dream with loads of shops featuring authentic clothes and hats from the period. This weekend is a big celebration weekend with people dressing up in costume, parades with the old cars and their equivalent of Ascot with a Gatsby picnic on the seafront so everything is gearing up ready for that. The architecture is pretty good around here too! Later we drove up to The Bluff lookout which unsurprisingly looks out over the town, Hawkes Bay and the port. We had met some Americans in town who were from the Crystal Serenity cruise ship that was docked there, so had to check that out. Drove on to the port and watched the fishing boats being loaded with ice ready for their next trip out to sea, down towards the Antarctic if the long lines were anything to go by. Our next stop was Mission Estate Winery for a quick perusal and tasting of three different reds.This place used to actually be a mission for an order called Marists which originated from the Virgin Mary being used as a figurehead after the French Revolution and made sacramental wine and is the oldest vineyard in the area. The last visit of the day was to the Aquarium which is actually the National Aquarium and Kiwi Hose of New Zealand. It was quite an impressive aquarium with some really good exhibits and tanks and to end a huge Perspex tunnel to walk under sharks, stingray and a host of other fish. They also have a kiwi house, similar to the one in Queenstown that we visited so we have seen them twice now which is fabulous. Charlie Chaplains for dinner tonight - great steak………
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