Napier to Wellington (for Jan. 16)

We went to the seashore and downtown about 10 AM and toured around until almost 1 PM. They have a black, pebbled beach – not very comfortable to walk on. The stones hurt your feet if barefoot and get in your sandals if you wear them. I guess the only thing to do is wear shoes. We also toured around the Art Deco and Spanish Mission architecture.

One interesting stop was Opossum World, which had a “Souvenirs” sign out front. We went in to check out the souvenirs, but got much more than we bargained for. The opossum was brought here many years ago to create a fur industry. Unfortunately, with no natural predators, the little varmints have taken over. They have endangered many indigenous tree and plant species and many of the birds and other animals that depend on them. Apparently, they also carry TB. There is quite a campaign to control them by trapping, poisoning, and whatever else they can do. This store was full of all kinds of opossum products, including various fur items, and various items knit from a blend of wool and opossum fur. They also had quite an extensive interpretive display.

A second interesting detour was to the top of the cliff that overlooks the town. Although the surrounding area is quite flat, this bluff rises abruptly 100 metres above the town. It had a great view of the port and of the suburbs to the north, but houses occupy all the viewpoints for the downtown to the south.

We pulled into Wellington’s outskirts about 7 PM. It wouldn’t normally take that long, but we stopped for lunch, then a nap, and, finally, a planning session to decide where to stop for the night. As for the nap, I felt this morning that I could have slept longer. While driving, I wasn’t to the point of nodding off, but I just wasn’t feeling sharp. The road was becoming hypnotic. After a one hour nap, I felt like a new man. I had planned to stop for the night in an area of vineyards an hour or two out of Wellington, but we decided to press on to Wellington instead. There is a lot to see and do there and there will be plenty of other opportunities fro wine tours. Also, maybe we can get a head start on fixing the tire.

Leaving Napier, the terrain was still much like the Okanagan, fairly dry and hilly with lots of fruit growing and vineyards. For most of the rest of the way, we were on a broad plain, but never far away from hills and small mountains. The hills became greener as we went further south, but had few trees. The primary land use was grazing again, but sheep became more common than cattle as we went further south. Just before Wellington, we reached another wine producing area, and crossed a range of hills where the road was a carbon copy of the ones I complained about before. It’s as if they are still using the same cart tracks they used 100 years ago, except that they have paved them.