We have now been in the Hawke's Bay region for a week. Time to tell you a little bit about the region. Hawke's Bay is located in the east of New Zealand's North Island and stretches for 100 kilometres. It extends from Mahia Peninsula in the northeast to Cape Kidnappers in the southwest. Cape Kidnappers got its name from its discoverer, James Cook. In 1769, the Maori wanted to kidnap a Tahitian boy who was travelling on the Endeavour in a canoe. Cook's crew shot and killed several Maori, allowing the boy to jump into the water and swim back to the ship. Today, the region is reasonably peaceful, although you still can't leave your shoes outside. But shoe kidnapping is the only thing that remains from that time, and at least we don't shoot people for it. At the cape, we also find our friends, the gannets. With around 8,000 pairs, it is the largest gannet colony in the world, accessible by land.
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| Cape Kidnappers, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
Hawke's Bay is another wine-growing region and also the oldest in New Zealand. Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are the main varieties grown here. In addition to viticulture, equestrian sports are also very popular. The winegrowers in the Bay are particularly enthusiastic about polo. Polo is a sport in which a team of four players on horseback tries to hit a ball into the opponent's goal with a wooden racket. To make it more interesting for the uninitiated spectator, the opposing goal changes sides after each goal. The playing time is divided into chukkas, with each chukka lasting seven minutes.
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| Polo match in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand |
We watch a game at the Radburnd Winery. In New Zealand, everything is done by car. Even polo games are attended by car. To do this, you drive across the lawn to the edge of the field, park your vehicle there, and then either sit on the back of your vehicle or, if you don't have one, bring a few folding chairs with you. As a non-polo player, it's difficult to follow the game, but that doesn't really matter. It's more about “seeing and being seen.” Anyone who calls golf elitist has never been to a polo match. But even here, New Zealanders reject the pejorative connotations of arrogance and aloofness, demonstrating with their openness that this concept can also be interpreted differently. The sport is certainly expensive and therefore not affordable for everyone, so it remains reserved for a certain clientele, but everyone is welcome here, at least in New Zealand. We enjoy a lovely day at the winery, and, as far as sports are concerned, we are once again richer for the experience.
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| Spectator seating at a polo match |
We have since moved from Havelock North to Napier. Napier has a very mixed past, with the region repeatedly having to hand over its administration to Wellington. Initially, urban development was limited to Scinde Island, now known as Bluff Hill. This was mainly because Napier at that time was surrounded by large swamp areas. On February 3, 1931, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale changed everything. Napier was completely destroyed by the quake and the subsequent major fire. The earthquake raised the ground by up to 2.5 metres. This dried out large areas of mudflats, on which the new Napier was built. Due to the effects of the global economic crisis in the early 1930s, the city was rebuilt in Art Deco style.
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| Napier Municipal Theater, New Zealand |
The Art Deco style was one of the most affordable options. The colours were diluted with water, and concrete slabs were an inexpensive building material. The decoration of the houses was relatively simple. Today, the city attracts numerous tourists with its unique architecture.
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| City tour in Napier, New Zealand, befitting one's status |
Whether it's the Marine Parade, a charming waterfront promenade, the city's buildings, such as the Napier Municipal Theatre, or the Paina, Napier is a must-see for visitors to New Zealand. Incidentally, the Paina is a figure from Polynesian mythology. As a European, it immediately reminded me of the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen.
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| Paina, Napier, New Zealand |
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| Marine Parade, Napier, New Zealand |
From Bluff Hill, where the old Napier once stood, you have an excellent view of the city and the entire Hawke Bay. Although Bluff Hill is only 106 metres high, you can see across the relatively flat land of the bay to Kaweka Forest Park, whose elevations reach up to 1700 metres. Below Bluff Hill is the port of Napier. During World War II, the hill was used to protect the harbour. However, not a single shot was fired from the gun emplacement until it was dismantled.
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| Port of Napier, New Zealand |
What else we learned this week comes from botany. A new fruit (at least for us), the feijoa, or pineapple guava. The feijoa is very popular in New Zealand and doesn't actually ripen until April.
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| Feijoa, Acca sellowiana |
But climate change does not spare the feijoa either, causing the fruit to ripen earlier, at least this year. So we get to enjoy tasting the fruit. It tastes like pineapple and strawberry and is rich in vitamin C, which we can really use in this New Zealand weather. Each day, we gather beneath the feijoa tree to replenish ourselves with vitamin C. One can never be certain.
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| Feijoa from the inside |
What we do know is that we'll be setting off again next week and heading north. Until then, fair winds and keep a stiff upper lip.
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