Sunshine! Lots of bus travel this morning – after a night spent listening to a stream of log lorries changing gear at the junction outside my room. Grr. The scenery is ace. Still incredibly hilly – volcanic one presumes – with trees, sheep and cows. And bungalows. Never been in a country with so few people in it except for deserts. It’s very clean as well. This is the cafe where we stopped for coffee.

Arrived in Napier, had a quick lunch and went on an Art Deco tour. In 1931, Napier was just about destroyed by an enormous earthquake that raised the sea bed by at least 2 metres. The town was rebuilt incredibly quickly in reinforced concrete in the style of the day. This was described as concrete boxes with decoration stuck on the outside.

After that we went wine tasting to the Church Rd and Mission vineyards. 5 wines at each place. Nice. Didn’t buy anything but might have done…..