be sure to rollover ‘notes’ to see photo captions!

Today was Waitangi Day, a New Zealand public holiday, but very contoversial. We drove from Wellington to Hawke’s Bay and had another fantastic lunch at Black Barn winery. I had gazpacho and it was exactly what I’d been wanting. A little dog wandered into the big outdoor patio and we found him later, napping in the sun in front of the little art gallery.

We drove on to Napier, found a pharmacy to fill my prescriptions, relaxed a bit and watched tv coverage of the Sevens. We walked down Marine Parade, saw the Sunken Gardens, and did the Art Deco Walking Tour. The tour was very interesting, with good architectural info and human interest stories to do with the great earthquake that leveled the city in 1931 (more here).

We had dinner at an Australian chain, Hog’s Breath Café, and filled up on ribs and steaks. We caught the Sevens Shield finals and watched the USA team win! Back at the hotel for the night, we watched ‘No Country for Old Men’.