A full day in Napier today and there is too much choice and not enough time my dear reader. There were multiple choices for breakfast, much like Wellington. Dispensing with the research we went wandering looking for a café that had good custom, but wasn't too crowded and also food that didn't have eggs in every dish. You scoff my egg-loving reader, but I am not an afficionado of the shelled food. Ajuna's was a mere 5 minute stroll from our accommodation and the coffee was good and happily the toast followed smartly - no 30 minute wait this time.
Today's title? A Crowded House favourite from 1988. And the temptation? Wineries. Read on.
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| Art deco is the thing in Napier |
Following breakfast we were booked on an art deco walking tour. This comprised of a 20 minute video on the history of Napier and an hour walk around the streets with a guide pointing out various buildings of interest. The art deco focus came about following the rebuilding of the town in 1931 following a 2 and half minute magnitude 7.8 earthquake. It not only totalled much of central Napier it raised the ground by almost 2 metres causing the inner harbour to drain and disappear completely.
As a result of the earthquake the building code was significantly altered because another earthquake is not an 'if' but 'when' proposition. The lion's head holds a metal cantilever to support the awnings in the street - no poles which can collapse and cause the awning to come crashing down. All new buildings were constructed using reinforced concrete. Any brick is purely a façade.
In February every year Napier holds a huge festival to celebrate everything art deco, although you could be forgiven for thinking this was an every day event. There were vintage cars everywhere offering tours of the town and nearby wineries. And of course the Art Deco Centre where you can access tours and buy art deco pieces or borrow clothing for a dress up and have your photo taken.
The walk was incredibly interesting, as was the video explaining the earthquake, its aftermath and the rebuilding of the town and nearby areas. It was an easy stroll and we didn't really travel that far, just around a few blocks of the CBD. The architectural and aesthetic features of art deco were revealed and exalted, punctuated by personal stories of the residents and historic photographs of what was lost and replaced.
Then it was wine time. Almost. We went down to the Visitor Centre and collected a few brochures to supplement Jayne's research. We discussed a wine tour by bicycle - be still my quaking heart - but it was a full day event and we had already burned the morning. Two of the recommended wineries were beyond a reasonable drive, so we opted for Mission Estate, close by and a major player in every wine tour.
Mission Estate Wines (Oldest Winery in NZ)- (save yourself the grief, don't go)
Despite the best efforts of the GPS, we found Mission Estate winery. Perhaps it would have been better had we not. In retrospect, maybe I'm being hard on the GPS, perhaps she was trying to protect me. I didn't realise that this was a Marist, I assume owned and operated, winery. I went to a Marist Brothers' school and survived. The experience at their winery today was similar. It over-promised and under-delivered.
The wine tasting area is modest. It appears most people come for lunch and the view. Meh. So we strolled in, looking around, trying to work out how things worked. Every winery is different and they all have their own protocols. The tasting bar was full except for one end so we went there, only to be told that was reserved for a bus group. We moved to another part of the bar and engaged another worker who told us to wait for five minutes until the current group had finished. We wandered the tasting room looking at the historic photos and checking out the range of wines.
A gap appeared at the bar and we zeroed in on it. We asked if we could taste some wine to be told that's not how we do things around here, you need to start at the cash register. Ok, Catholic jokes ... the guy was so arrogant. You would know, dear reader, that in my time I have been to a few wineries - on three different continents, so I do know my way around.
At the paying end, before you try, you are required to purchase a "souvenir" stemless wineglass for $10NZ. A glass that you do not use at your tasting. Tempted as I was to walk away, we hadn't intended to do any other wineries ... travelling, getting the wine home from overseas, the usual issues. However, I'd come this far. We joined another couple for our tasting with our 'local' expert, an American girl who knew her spiel very well. I think there were six wines to taste, preselected, no variation. To say I was underwhelmed would be an understatement. I go into a wine tasting expecting to buy wine and I needed wine for the evenings. I struggled to find anything worthy of my money.
So, to sum up: they are a tourist mecca. The wines are over-rated and over-priced. Some of the staff are just plain rude. It's about customer service; if you don't like the industry, get back out into the vines and leave people alone.
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| Again with the crazy pedestrian lights |
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| Have a close look at the next photo |
Jayne decided we had to do another winery to wipe Mission Estate from our memory. Something out of the way I suggested and she came up with Brookfields. It was away from the well worn tourist path, but still close to town, so we reset the GPS and headed off. Curiously, we did not put the winery in as destination, just the street name. Imagine our surprise when the GPS deposited us at the entrance to winery with the line, "you have reached your destination". Just creepy.
I have hyperlinked the title of this section. Go there. Read about their wines. Buy some. They make some exceptional wines.
After the disappointment of Mission Estate, Brookfields proved to be the exact opposite. We had an absolutely lovely afternoon tasting great wine and chatting with Sharon and the other people who arrived. An eclectic crowd it was, Finland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand of course.
We sat around a table covered with bottles and talked about the wines before tasting. We were able to pour our own and have a second tasting. The discussion ranged from the wines, their history, to the history of the winery, politics in NZ and Australia and all points in between.
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| Hey, aren't you ... |
The range is extensive. everything from the expected Pinot Gris and Sav Blanc through to Chardonnay, Rosé and Cab Sav with Syrah and Merlot. There was also a delightful dessert wine called Indulgence. And it was. But so were the others.
We have been tasting wines at the cellar door since the late 1970s and there a few magic days that stand out in all of the wines we've tasted. One golden afternoon at Burnbrae in Mudgee in the early '80s tasting wine under the peppercorn tree before the tasting facilities were completed. But today ... it is up there and will become, over time, a treasured memory. Thank you Sharon.
After struggling to find a wine to purchase at Mission Estate, we ordered 15 bottles to be sent back home. A couple of those reds need to be cellared for a few years to truly appreciate them. As we departed, we were invited to pick two bottles of our choice - the whole range was included - to take with us.
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| Got any blacker? |
After a nondescript dinner, we went for a walk along the foreshore. I haven't mentioned previously, Napier has a lot going for it, but the beach is not one of them. Maybe it's my Australian bias but black pebbles instead of sand? It just doesn't work for me. I mean, there is plus side, no sand in your bathers, but it's just wrong.
The picture doesn't capture reality. The water is a beautiful turquoise, and the shore is black pebble. The closer to the water the finer it is but it is not easy to walk on. And can you imagine the heat it would generate on a really hot day? Not for me.
Normally I'd end with, until tomorrow, but tomorrow is another transit day, so if there isn't a post waiting for you on Sunday, there will be come Monday.
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