Art Deco living and cracked iPhones

While visiting Wellington we stayed at a hobby farm, or what they call a "lifestyle block". The kids enjoyed playing with the owners' kids, a boy named Dominique who was a year older than John, and a girl named Celina who was a year younger than Elizabeth. It was great to see them play with soccer balls and skateboards, and interact with the neighbour's dog and cat. Dominique had just purchased a dirt bike, and showed off for us by riding it over the nearby hills and across the stream. They had all the usual animals like chickens and sheep, along with an unusual collection of donkeys, and were just in the process of purchasing a pony for Celina, which was to arrive on the day of our departure.

While the kids were all playing together, Catheleen and I chatted with the owners, Roland and Angie. We stayed two nights and both nights we stayed up to tell stories and share some food and drink. Angie is originally from Switzerland, and it was interesting to hear her tales of life back in Switzerland and how she ended up in New Zealand.

On Saturday we drove north from Wellington to Napier, on the east coast of the north island on Hawkes Bay. Napier was razed by an earthquake in the 1930's, and rebuilt in an art-deco style - prominent at the time. We enjoyed walking around and staring up at the building facades, with their straight line décor and pastel colours. It reminded us of parts of Miami. The town plays up the Art Deco motif with various restaurants, shops and festivals to celebrate this heritage. I really liked it since it was so different from any other town I've seen.

The bay itself was unique. When we looked onto the Pacific Ocean we saw a black pebble beach and water the colour of emerald green. The water was very cold, and we looked on while white and black birds dived for fish while a couple of seals relaxed on their bellies further out, one with a fish it just caught. The seals sometimes come on to shore to rest, and we read a sign asking people to leave the seals alone. I understand some people feed the seals, especially the skinny young ones that are still learning to fish, which is not good for them.

We had great weather the three nights we spent at Napier, which is common in this place. The summer months have a daytime high of 25 Celsius, while the winters have a high of 14 Celsius. I think this is near perfect weather. The rental prices are pretty good here too. If we were retired and looking for a place to get away from a Canadian winter I think this would be a good spot. We stayed at someone's home, who I believe clears out to sleep on a friend's couch whenever she has guests. It seems strange to me that she would inconvenience herself whenever she has a booking, but I guess it's worth it to her. We really enjoyed the lived in, homey place built in the 1930's, especially the backyard with its avocado and lemon trees with grape vines running along the fence line.

I don't know if the threat of earthquakes would bother me though if we lived here for an extended time, but I suppose most places have their risks. In Ottawa Canada I think the biggest risk is the winter driving conditions, which are not insignificant. I suppose you are just used to whatever risks are prevalent, no matter where you live.

We also hit the mall in Napier for maintenance and upkeep. I discovered after it rained that I had holes in my shoes so I picked up a new pair and threw out the old ones. If we travelled long enough we would end up replacing everything I'm sure. As it stands now we've replaced most of our luggage, replaced or thrown out some footwear, and purchased some new clothes along the way. Our clothes are starting to look a little ragged and stained though. I think they'll all end up in the trash when we're back home in Canada.

Our devices have suffered the most over our trip however. We've cracked and replaced two iPhone screens and one iPad screen, and ruined a third iPhone when I left it on the beach where it was inundated by a big wave. 

Here's Elizabeth at the park in Napier next to the bay. Parkland runs all along the bay, which is nice. This shot was taken around 6 PM. I noticed the ocean colour changed to blue by this time in the day.