Taking a break today from walking. Surely, we still had to walk but it is mostly strolling to see sights and shopping. Napier was not on the initial list of port-of-calls. With Napier, we have to have a short day in order to make the high tide arrival at Tauranga. If we didn't stop in Napier, we would have to crawl to Tauranga to waste some time.
Woke up to find the ship already docked with the front facing webcam showing the wharf with logs ready for shipping. So far in New Zealand, we have not had a wharf without logs yet. That means logs are big business and also there are no many piers or wharfs built just for cruise ships. In Napier, shuttle is mandatory because no one is allowed to wander about in the commercial wharf area.
Napier is the art deco capital of the world because an earthquake and fire destroyed almost the whole town and it was rebuilt to the style at the time, which is art deco. It has a clean look with pastel colours like Miami. Those famous surviving buildings are the Six Sisters, built identically by the dad as gifts to his six daughters.
After a short shuttle ride, we strolled along the beach with black pebbles and the sunken garden before turning onto the shopping area. They were unleashed and there is no holding back. It turned out to be the best shopping day on the trip in terms of getting souvenirs and gifts. I suppose we need a day like this otherwise we will all be in trouble.
There is another area available for a bit of a nature walk but it requires some effort to actually get to the area. Another opportunity is to walk up the hill right next to the wharf bit it looks daunting up close. As I said, it is not bad to get some shopping done. Even I got a couple of t-shirts.
Back on the ship at lunch time for lunch, which has not happened for a few days now. So that is good too. Also a good opportunity to catch up on some sleep.
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