1 Day at Napier.

After Rotorua, we decided to pay a visit at this small town, Napier.

Napier is a NZ city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of North Island.

Nonetheless, Napier is a popular tourist city, with a unique concentration of 1930s Art Deco architecture. It also has one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country, a statue on Marine Parade called Pania of the Reef. Thousands of people flock to Napier every February for the Art Deco Weekend event, a celebration of its Art Deco heritage and history.

(fr Wikipedia)

Not sure what others think about this city, but I know this city is famous for backpackers who want to try some seasonal works eg. apple/kiwi picking. Almost all people that you meet at local BBH worked for seasonal jobs too.

Pania of the Reef          

The romantic story between Pania and her lover, Karitoki.

According to Maori's mythology, Pania was a beautiful woman of sea. She swim happily in the ocean everyday with the little sea creatures (like Little Mermaid?) and in the evenings she would swim to the upstream and make a comfortable bed in the flax bushes.

Every night when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching the stream she would quickly peak out and stare at Karitoki, a Maori chief's son who come and drink the water from the upstream because it was the tastiest water of all.

Pania could not help herself falling in love with Karitoki. She cast a spell on Karitoki and her whispers carried by the wind and reached his ears. Karitoki turned around and saw the beautiful Pania coming towards him. They fell instantly in love and were married.

Pania lives in a whare with her beloved husband and refuses to go back to the sea, but the sea people were calling her back to where she belongs, the sea. She resisted their call for a very long time, but the lure of the sea people become irresistible and she swam out to meet them, just once.

The sea people came from the depths, surrounded her and drew her down into the cavern of the sea and never let Pania returned to the land of mortal.

We walked along the Marine Parade and accidentally found this haunted prison, Napier Prison.

But it costs us NZD20 / pax for the entry! Gosh I'm not going to spent any cent to see a fake ghost or what-so-ever so we turned around and came out, simply snapped a photo in front of the gate. 

Oh according to the visitors, it was so worth to pay a visit, and they always saw a shadow of a cat? at the corridor. They say it was the spirit of the dead bla-bla-bla.

All the way going up to the Bluff Hill (Such a Bluff!) and we took the alternative way into Centennial Garden, a reserved forest to have a break.

Don't know what am I doing, but that's the point! 

Special thanks to Dai Lou (大佬) from Malaysia...

and Jerick from Korea for accompanied me in this "special" day trip

We climbed up to the Bluff Hill (I'm not Bluffing you!) and reach the Look-Out Point. 

Port of Napier

Yes, please bare with me that this photo was so distorted. Just wanna show you how blue and clean the port of Napier was, unlike our Klang Port. Geli-brownies. 

There's a very special landmark on Bluff Hill Domain. From this little 3D Compass you can actually see what's waiting for you opposite the Blues. Argh....far...far...away from me....

So we didn't forget to pay a visit at Classic Sheepskins, followed a tannery tour which explained a lot regarding how they wash, clean, tan, dye, soften and finish the sheepskin. FOC of coz~

                                                            Wow! Chemical smell XD

And at the end of the tour, every one will get a free SheepSkin sample like this.

But I 烂大方咁 give this to my dear Japanese friend, Mika XD since she gave me a pair of slipper when I need it the most :D

到此一游是一定要的。

I know, this is boring. but consider it as an appreciation token from Bell popo okay? My life is really kinda boring here neh.....money money money, is so funny, in a rich man's world!


I NEED MONEY TO TRAVEL!

Alright, next week start working in a restaurant in Blenheim, it's a fast food chain restaurant, let's see how.

Thanks for reading.
Good luck.