Napier
A fine slightly overcast, warm day –predicted to reach over 80 degrees Fahrenheit – greeted us as the Oceanic Discover docked at Napier on the first morning of February. After breakfast we departed for the Australasian gannet colony at the promontory of Cape Kidnappers, at the southern extreme of the Hawke Peninsula. The drive itself wound itself through the township of Haumoana and then through farmland on the peninsula, much of it now owned by American billionaire philanthropist Julian Robertson who has built a luxury lodge and up-market cliff-side golf course on some of the land.
The drive was carefully undertaken as the road was steep in places with vertical drops descending on both sides. Guests were taken aback at the size of the gannet colony and the closeness with which they were able to observe the birds, allowing for wonderful photographic opportunities.
After half an hour’s viewing it was back to the ship for lunch, after which some guests departed for the Art Deco tour of Napier while others partook of their own individual tours. This town – its central business district heavily rebuilt in the Art Deco and, to a lesser degree, the Spanish Mission style after the devastating February 1931 earthquake which took 256 lives in Napier and Hastings – is unique in New Zealand and one of the most heavily built Art Deco style cities in the world.
A calm night greeted us before the overnight voyage to Gisborne.
