Hawke's Bay

Well, fortunately, not all of our time is spent providing health care - just so you don't think this trip is all about that, will share another adventure.

If you look down on the map that Alice so cleverly added to our blog, you will see the town of Napier on the east coast of the north island. It is difficult to see on this map, but Napier is on Hawke's Bay and that area includes two other towns (not on the map) - Hastings and Havelock North. This is a favorite area that we have been to a couple of times. This Bay empties into the Pacific Ocean. It is beautiful water - blue green and has a gentle wave. The beach there is black volcanic rock. The town of Napier sits on the Bay and has a boulevard along the water lined with huge Norfolk Island pines on either side of the road. There are a couple of gardens and an open theatre - Shell - where performances are held. There is something going on every weekend, at least this time of the year.   We visited several of the wineries in the area and had a delicious meal there - wine was not great, but the food was!

Art Deco Weekend

The first weekend we were there, we bought tickets to a concert to be held in a month at the Anglican Cathedral in Napier. It was a performance by the Cologne Philomonic Chamber Orchestra. Outstanding program - Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Pacebel - all our favorites. What we did not know was that there was another concert that weekend at the Mission Winery on the edge of town  (that's where the picture above of Jay was taken) - an annual event- celebrating the 50th Motown Music Festival - attended by thousands. When we began looking for accommodations to return for the classical concert - there were ZERO!!! We couldn't believe it and kept trying all the resouces and there were none for miles around. This is a big tourist area and holiday place for the locals, so there are many motels, hotels, an B&Bs. One person told Jay, "I can get you a place in Dannevirke!!" This is where we are living!! Obviously, we did not want not drive 2 hours at night across the narrow, winding roads of which we are vaguely familiar. So we left Dannevirke the afternoon of our concert with no place to stay. Our innkeeper in Dannevirke has a daughter living in the Napier area and she had asked her to check around. Also, Jay mentioned to the clinic staff as he was leaving the office that day with me picking him up to head out, that we did not have a place to stay, Well, thank God for cellphones - on the way, we had 3 phone calls with options for accommodations. Two were friends of our innkeeper's daughter who were willing for us to spend a night in their home. The third was a friend of a staff member from the clinic. We were amazed at the generosity of folks who would open up their home to folks they did not know. We chose the one closest to Napier - 15 minutes from the Cathedral. It was quite nice and we ended up staying 2 mights and went back the next weekend for a couple more nights to attend the Art Deco annual festival, which is described below.

Nice car!!

Mostly songs we knew!

Kids dressed in period as well.

Napier was destroyed in 1931 by an earthquake. It was rebuilt with much planning. The architechture being art deco. There is huge pride in the town and every year there is an annual Art Deco weekend. Folks dress in the style of that time, both men, women, and children. There is a bathing suit show, amazing hats, gloves, spats, - the full regalia. There are a couple of hundred old cars - in fine shape that are driven from miles around as well as those in town. There is jazz and dancing in the streets, movies of that era in the local theatre, a Gatsby picnic on the promenade by the Bay where folks bring out their china, crystal, candelabra, hampers, etc.  One afternoon there was a "soap box derby" - as we used to know it, homemade cars that kids drive down a hill and get pushed back up!  It is a huge event with people watching being the best fun of all!  Jay was fascinated by all the cars.  They were amazing - in tip-top shape.  We would see them on the highway on the way to the weekend, just buzzing along.  Must have had new engines in them rather than the originals.

Hmmm, I still have not figured out how to place the pictures where I want them - but hey, at least I am getting some on.  Needless to say, these are only a very few of all the many we have.  Jay must have taken at least 25 pictures of cars!!

We also had to check out the beach there - not like our beaches!!!  Folks are not allowed to swim here.  I can't imagine lying on this rocky sand.  Can you tell it is cool and windy?!!

From the inside, Tiffany Rose, no less.

Maori Chapel in Cathedral

And, by the way, we did get to the Cathedral for the concert.  We also attended a jazz Eucharist on Sunday morning and went back that evening for the closing of the Art Deco weekend.  The New Zealand Naval Band played for the closing.  I met the Bishop here that I was going to be meeting with at a later scheduled time.  He is from North Carolina (went to Duke undergrad and Divinity School) and was friends with a nursing school classmate of mine.  Her children babysat his children. She had told me about him last year at a nursing school reunion before we were sure we were coming, nor did we know where we might be if we came.   Small world!!  The Maori chapel is behind the main altar in the cathedral under the Rose window.   The carvings are amazing.  The wall panals are woven flax, an interesting process.  If you are familiar with the New Zealand Prayer Book, you know that the services are in English and Maori.  Some of the prayers are spoken in Maori during the English language Eucharist.  It is very inclusive. 

This is the weekend I dropped my camera and broke it - while sitting at a Starbucks, can you believe??  I had even taken a picture of the Starbucks!   Not as many here as there are in the States, but plenty of other cafe's serving the delicious coffee.  Jay is generous with his camera, but it is not like mine - I miss mine terribly!!  Costs too much to fix - here anyway.  So most of the pictures from here on will be what Jay takes.

Stay tuned for more wonderful stories of our travels and pictures!!!