Where you can go for a swim in Napier, New Zealand

It must be admitted that Napier's foreshore is probably not as suitable for swimming as say Waikiki Beach. However, it does have unique charm of its own, with the rather gravelly volcanic sands and steely grey waters. If you want a more relaxing swim, then you're probably better off going to the well appointed Aqua Spa resort instead, located along the seafront. I approached this establishment with some misgivings. All I really wanted was just a swim, not a five star aquatic experience. And I wasn't too keen on paying a fortune to get in. The following conversation took place at the ticket office.

Myself - "Do you actually do just swims ?"

Booth attendant - " Of course sir, plus a whole lot more."

Myself - " What I really wanted to know, is how much it will all cost ?"

Attendant " Six dollars. But this gives you a choice of three hot pools, a lap pool, turkish and steam baths, hot showers as well. "

Myself - "Hmmm, seems good value. OK, I'll splash out on that thanks."

An encounter with a Napier dentist, New Zealand

I retrieved my missing front tooth from my icecream, and put it safely in an envelope. The next step of course was to get the crown stuck back on. I considered supa-glue, but discarded this option, and made an appointment with the local friendly dentist in Napier New Zealand.

I turned up at the surgery next morning at 8.20am. There was no-one there, but soon a car pulled up, and a bloke in a white coat strode briskly across to the surgery door. Following conversation took place.

Me - " Er, are you the local friendly dentist ?"

White coated bloke - " No, I'm not. I'm a repair man come to fix the dentist's medical equipment."

Me - "Forgive my mistake. I saw your white coat, and naturally took you to be the dentist."

WC Bloke - " That's OK."

Me - "Also, I noted the ruler in your coat pocket, and assumed it was for gauging the depth of a filling perhaps."

WC Bloke (laughing) - "Not likely mate. I'll come back later, when the real dentist turns up. I'm off shopping now (consults a list) some grapes and broccoli for my canary."

Me- " Your bird eats better than I do."

In due course, the authentic friendly dentist arrived, and quickly had my errant crown back firmly in place. To me, he looked straight out of dentistry school, but of course, to him, I must have looked incredibly ancient.

So the moral of this story is - if you have respect for your front crown, don't buy a chewy icecream confection in Napier ! And that's the whole tooth !

Napier - New Zealand's most boring city

I can truthfully say that Napier is New Zealand's most boring city. You may ask why ? Well it happened that after completing my walk along the promenade, I purchased an icecream. It was a delicious-looking chocolate confection, covered with chewy nuts. I bit into it, with some anticipation. Marvellous.... Then, looking at the icecream, I suddenly realised it had a white tooth-like object sticking up from the middle of it. And there was a gap in the front of my mouth. My missing crown had transferred itself to the icecream. As you can imagine, my stay in Napier rapidly became boring - I had to find a dentist right away !

What you can see on Napier's beach, North Island New Zealand

A refreshing tail wind followed me as I walked along Napier's promenade. The manicured flower gardens near the city area were soon left far behind. The day was beautifully fine, with small clouds scudding across the sky. A train chugged past on the other side of the road, full of containers from Hamburg Sud. My trail followed a series of fitness stations where keen participants could work out with press-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups. I tried a few of these and felt decidedly rusty. The seaside suburb of Meeanee came and went. I plodded on. Gun emplacements from another war, another time, sat looking out to sea.

Napier Beach Domain walk, New Zealand

If you're on a campervan holiday in New Zealand, one of the things you can do when you visit Napier is to stroll along the magnificent beach domain walk. You'll see some colourful old houses along the seafront and it's well worthwhile doing.

I started off in a Southerly direction from near the Aquarium. Seaside daisies, some yellow, some gold were surviving in harsh conditions on the gravel shingle beach. The walkway makes a pleasant stroll, running parallel to the long line of Norfolk pines which stretches up Napier's marine parade. There weren't many people on the beach. However, I noticed an elderly couple lying on the gravel, braving the elements despire a persistent breeze blowing in from the sea which was a milky muddy grey blue colour. They were valiantly trying to make the best of a picnic, and were dining on grapes, cheese and wine.

Napier - Art Deco City of New Zealand

I drove my rental campervan into Napier, aptly called the Art Deco City of New Zealand. Tourist leaflets describe it as the 'jewel in the crown' of Hawke's Bay Wine Country .
Here, you can admire picturesque art deco buildings, walk along an impressive promenade, visit a winery, swim with the dolphins or go see a gaggle of gannets. There are lots of interesting things to do. I parked on the foreshore and had a lazy lunch of noodle soup overlooking the ocean. If you're looking for golden sands, don't come to Napier. The beach here has a character all of its own, and varies from rough shingle to black volcanic sand. I liked it because it was different. And the architecture was intriguing, with well-preserved art deco buildings along the seafront. I felt that was one thing I had in common with Napier - being well-preserved that is.

Hawkes Bay - the fruit bowl of New Zealand

At last ! I had cleared the interminable hills of the Taupo-Napier highway, and my campervan was positively shooting along the flats at Eskdale, a favoured wine growing area of Hawkes Bay. Orchards, high hedges, vineyards appeared. I noted the picturesque old Eskdale church with orange tiled roof. Hawkes Bay is well known as the fruit bowl of New Zealand. I stopped at a roadside stall and stocked up with cheap nectarines, plums and apricots. A delicious introduction to this very pleasant area of Aotearoa ! Appropriately after my travels I was plum tired, and you may 'dejuice' that I had a very fruitful stop.