Wine Country 1/18/08

Our Napier day turned out to be cool and cloudy so our sunny streak is over. Our first order of business was to check out Cape Kidnappers Golf Club which has been ranked as the 27th best in the world. Our host Gary called ahead to make sure we could get on the property (normally you can’t unless you have a confirmed tee time) and we were able to breeze through the security gate once we found it. They almost hide it. Once inside the gate it was a five mile drive to the clubhouse. The setting around the clubhouse actually reminded us of a course we played near Williston ND with harsh rolling land and scrubby grasses. As the course winds toward the coast it takes advantage of nasty Cliffside hole locations. Google it for some wild pictures. At $400 per round we checked out stock portfolio and decided to pass.

Our first winery visit was at Kim Crawford, a name we recognized from home. We tried a couple pinot gris and bought a bottle of sauvignon blanc just in case we got thirsty. We took off from there along the Tukituki river which winds through a spectacular valley near Havelock North, dotted with wineries and surrounded by substantial hills. We popped out of the valley at Black Barn winery which had been recommended for lunch. Mary had an appetizer tasting plate (smoked beef, salmon and cheese with bread and crackers) and John ordered the smoked chicken salad with nectarines and bleu cheese, and we both passed back and forth.

After lunch we wound up Te Mata Peak Road which is a death-defying, switch back, no-guardrail, windy narrow path up the side of the tallest point of land in these parts for an unbelievable view in all directions. It is a very good thing we skipped the wine at lunch. It was an easy drive into Hastings that thinks it (not Napier) is the dominant town in the region. The main street in Hastings is lined at rooftop height with pink flowers for about 10 blocks and the result is impressive. We wandered around for about an hour and the city is less touristy than Napier with more of a hometown sort of feel.

Our next stop was back in Napier at the quay. A fishing boat had just come in and we watched them unload a pretty big bin of sole destined for some of our local restaurants. They worked so hard we were pretty thirsty by the time they finished so we popped into the Thirsty Whale for a pint of Tui. The "Whale" has about a 6-foot square glass floor area and as you look down you see a band of skeletons playing their instruments. Odd.

After a sit down looking at the ocean from our room we went to "Take Five" for dinner. This place was recommended by our host and the lady at Kim Crawford Winery so with a double rec we had to try it. The food was excellent (John, duck; Mary, stuffed vegetables) and there was a duo singing all the right songs for us. (Desperado, Ain’t no Sunshine, Love me Tender, Fever, etc.). Outside of the drive up the mountain, it was a very laid back day with a very nice finish.

Today’s Local Headline: Snubbed, Wellington Dominion Post (Royal Family skipping Sir Edmund Hillary’s funeral)

Napier & Hawkes Bay - Thursday, 1/17/08

Another B&B breakfast this morning as Angela whipped up a smoked trout omelette from some of their local catch. We could get used to that. We pulled out of Taupo at about 10:00 heading east to the Pacific coast and Hawkes Bay at Napier.

Angela told us that there was nothing to be seen between Taupo and Napier, and while there were no towns to speak of, the two hour trip was all beautiful peaks and valleys, pines and streams and the kind of geography that one saw in the shires of Lord of the Rings. Not much to see if you’ve seen it all before.

Napier was wiped out by an earthquake in 1931, and as the town was obliterated a bunch of new land was formed by the bottom of the bay heaving up and extending the acreage. The entire city was rebuilt in the popular art-deco style of the time and now it remains a very interesting period piece. The shoreline of the bay is bordered by the main thoroughfare, Marine Parade, and between that and the gorgeous blue water is a continuous series of parkland, all planted with a varied selection of summer flowers. The whole effect is pretty spectacular and one can see why this is a popular Travel Channel destination and a favorite among the Kiwis.

This is also wine country and after wandering around town for an hour we headed out for lunch at Mission Estate winery. It is the oldest NZ winery and the grounds and buildings would rival anything we have seen in Napa. After the big breaky (NZ lingo) we opted for the calamari appetizer for John and the roasted capsicum soup for Mary. We were very well behaved.

Our lodging here is a studio suite in a motel type facility (Pebble Beach) on Marine Parade and looking out at the water. We finally have the luxury of a double Jacuzzi, real cable TV, and high speed internet in our room so we may hole up for a couple days (just kidding). Mary had a hankering for Italian for dinner so we found one place about a half mile walk into the center of town. It wasn’t terrible, (Mary had the Penne with bleu cheese and broccoli; John had the Bolognese) but Gordon Ramsey could have made it into a show without much trouble. The owner (a big Kiwi) was cooking and cashiering and when we paid we got the impression he was pretty new at the whole process. We would have offered a consult but like everyone else who really needs it, he wouldn’t have recognized the problem until he closed the doors.

A nice walk back along the ocean as the stars were coming out and we sat on a bench across from our place at the water’s edge for a long time before heading off to bed.

Today’s Local headline: A Lifeline for Cancer Treatment, Wellington Dominion Post
(The government approved an new radiation treatment machine to shorten the 3-month wait for cancer treatment—a glimpse of national health care)