Now we enter Wellington. Not quite up to the standards of Wellington, PEI (after which I'm sure it's named), but a lovely city. We only rolled in a few hours ago, after sunset (which is now creeping up shortly after 6pm, not cool) and had a bit of a wander about. Wellington is the capital of NZ but is much smaller than Auckland (about 300,000 people vs 1.3 million). It has a much stronger arts & culture scene than Auckland, but unfortunately I won't experience it this time around. We're out of here on a 8am ferry tomorrow and on to the South Island. I do like what I've seen so far, but that's not a whole lot right now...

Since my last note we spent time wandering the Napier waterfront (or Maine Parade) region and just enjoying the warmth & sunshine again! There's been a real cold streak here lately dropping the temps from high teens to 10-12 degrees and 5 at night! I am so climatized that yes, I do feel okay about whining about that. I even bought a touque ("beanie") the other day. I can't find mitts though - they all wear gloves. How boring.

Back to Napier. It was lovely and shorts & t-shirt (in the sunshine) warm, so we wandered the markets and gardens and points of interest along the waterfront for a good while, then I joined a 2 hour (that quickly became 3 hour) tour about the city. When the earthquake hit (7.9 on the richter scale) it rose the land by 2 metres! Napier was a set on a small island, but the rise of the land gave the city 40 extra acres. Only 4 buildings of the downtown core survived and much reconstruction had to be done, all in the style of the times, art deco. It's claimed to be the most comprehensive collection of art deco buildings in the world, a claim that brings the tourists in droves. If in Hawkes Bay, do visit.

This morning we visited a winery just outside the city (the Hawkes Bay area is a huge fruit growing area and houses about 40 wineries). An interesting tour, allowing me to finally get a grasp--albeit a small one--on this whole wine culture, some quick testing and we were on our way. Sidenote - the wineries all sell their product at the winery (usually called the cellar door) and many are not sold in local bottle shops (liquour stores). Fascinating industry, growning by 25% annually in this country.

Now you understand I'm not a whino, merely trying to lear about NZ's fastest growing industry. It's all to further my education.