We spent our "wandering around" time in Napier. Which was a very interesting town because of the large number of art deco buildings and houses. There are so many that it's actually known as the art deco capital. I did think it was funny that it was just called the art deco capital. I'm not sure if it's the capital of New Zealand, the Southern Hemisphere, the world or something bigger.
The art deco style in the city was actually the result of a rebuilding effort after a major earthquake in 1931 destroyed pretty much the entire town.
One of the stores in downtown that we got a kick out of was Opossum World. It seems as if those ugly critters that I'm used to seeing flattened on the road are big pests in New Zealand. They are also slightly different with better fur that can be used to make various items of clothing. Opossum World sold sweaters, vests, scarves and hats made from the fur of these critters. There was also a display honoring the efforts of those who had tried to eradicate them from the area. It was sort of a "Who's Who of Opossum Killers". My favorite was an old guy nicknamed appropriately "Possum Bill". Seems as if Bill's method was to feed them cyanide which resulted in something like Jonestown. Not good if you were an opossum but also not good if you were one of his dogs who were fed the ground up meat!
There is a really nice waterfront area that runs the entire length of the town. We learned that the same earthquake created new land along that area which has been developed into a nice promenade that houses the national aquarium and many seaside parks.
We also did a tour of the area that took us to the Te Mata Peak which was around 5,000 feet in elevation. The 360 degree views from the top were very impressive. There were hundreds of sheep grazing in the meadows below all of which looked like tiny white dots against a green background.
While at the top we had some unexpected entertainment. It seems as if they allow hang gliding off Te Mata and there was one hearty soul attempting it.
To fully appreciate the story you have to understand that it's pretty much straight down. So once you jump the next piece of flat real estate is way down there, like 5,000 feet or so. Now he may be the worlds greatest hang glider person but I don't think so. The first clue I picked up on was that he was by himself. One would think for a feat such as this some kind of support crew might be appropriate. I'm thinking his wife, friends and/or kids couldn't bare to watch this spectacle. Second, he kept checking and adjusting the straps connecting him to his chute. I get that you want to check them but he had this puzzled look on his face as if to be saying "does the red strap connect to the blue strap or should it connect to the green one?" Third, the winds were gusting and swirling quite a bit. His chute would occasionally fill with air and lift him off the ground. Fourth, there were no other hang glider people anywhere in the neighborhood. You'd think that if conditions had been favorable there may have been a few other daredevils around.
Sadly we had to leave before he either packed it up and went home or took that fateful step off the edge. If he did take it I'm thinking the sheep may outnumber the people of New Zealand by one more tonight!
 |
| Some Pretty Fancy Fur Products Inside |
 |
| Art Deco & Antique Cars |
 |
| Some Of The Art Deco Along The Promenade |
