7-14 NZ – CA Connections

Today we headed to the coast and Hawke’s Bay. There wasn’t any frost overnight and the morning started out very clear and sunny. By the time we had loaded everything up though, clouds had started to roll in. We headed down to the coast and encountered several low clouds and quite a bit of rain along the road. We arrived in Napier and drove around a bit to scope out the town. There is indeed a collection of buildings with art deco architecture, but they are intermingled with random buildings as well. The streets are very narrow and parking is a challenge. The whole area reminded me of Westwood. We drove down the beach a bit and had a picnic in the car. To do some sightseeing, we went to the Napier Prison but decided not to pay the $20 admission to hear their audio tour. Then we went to Possum World which actually was pretty interesting. They had displays set up with possums and all the information about possums and the problems they have caused. Then we went to Train Town, which was a huge room with set-up model trains. They were very intricate and had different scenarios set up all around. Twas an unusual but interesting setup. After wandering around the town and getting rained on, we decided to head along the road to Hastings.

While I wasn’t impressed with Napier, being too cramped and snozzy, I had higher hopes for Hastings. Unfortunately, Hastings is not better than Napier by any means. If Napier is like Westwood, then Hastings is like Canoga Park. There are some stately historic buildings, but they are mixed between broken down buildings and industrial centers. Everything is slightly grungy and it seems like newly painted walls and construction are being done to cover up previous scars. The motels we were scouting out were like the random ones in the middle of the valley that people drive by but don’t know anyone who has actually stayed there. It doesn’t seem dangerous, but you still want to make sure you go about your business in a prompt and alert manner. We’ve been spending the evening in our micro motel room across the train tracks that smells of baby powder and has an ejecting toilet paper dispenser. This is better than the common room next door that reeks of mildew. We got Noodle Canteen takeaway for dinner and have been watching random American television shows and highlights of every rugby game imaginable. Tomorrow we depart to south of Hastings where we will be living in a bus for 3 days as we wwoof with a small family. Updates and photos are forthcoming.