Welcome back.
Nat, Caroline, Sasha and my good self headed down to Mt Maunganui for the next night, to meet up with Graham, Carly and our Auckland friends Jez and Chloe (Jez is actually from Hell - I mean Hull) in this slightly strange resort town. Jez managed to book us into a brand-new, luxury three-bedroom apartment for the night for the price of a hostel room, and we had a decent night out for Nat's birthday that somehow didn't finish until way after 3. Time flies when you're drunk. The Mount itself is a bit disappointing, but that might have been the hangover clouding my judgement.
We waved goodbye to J and C, and S too (she had to go to work the next day - some people), and the three remaining compadres set off for Napier down the east coast. I really liked it there, yet again we had a great hostel to stay in, and Napier is really charming. The city was totalled by a big earthquake in 1931, so all the rebuilding took place in the art deco style, and the crazy buildings still stand today. (There was actually an earthquake the night we were there apparently, but as I thought it was just a heavy man walking past our room I don't think it made the world news.)
Another good thing about Napier is its proximity to some of New Zealand's best wineries. We had a fantastic afternoon (what we can remember of it) having our own driver, Hamish, taking us round four or five wineries to sample their wares. Of course, my idea of wine is Blue Nun, so I had a lot to learn. And learn I did.
Next stop was Lake Taupo (pronounced Toe-Paw, apparently), where we managed to cram sea kayaking, mountain biking, and a visit to a thermal spa all into one day. We also visited the Craters of The Moon (or Crates o' t' Moon as I insisted on calling it in an annoying Yorkshire accent), a bizarre landscape of steaming mud pools and craters. Really cool place.
And so our north island holiday came to an end, just in time to return to Auckland for St Patrick's Day, a farewell barbie and a big Sunday lunch at Nat's cousin's ranch. We also managed the touristy trip up the Skytower and I got to spend more time with my mates Jamie and Lucy by running the Round the Bays race that I told you about last time with them. I was sore for a couple of days after that one, but yet another decent experience on my hols.
South Island next.
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