ECT, Part 1

This post covers the first, and (sadly!) least eventful leg of the East Cape Trip. Basically, it includes the trip from Wellington to Hawke's Bay. Hawke's Bay is a region; Hawke Bay is, well, a bay. (A fine, and as far as I can tell completely unimportant, distinction.) The southern end-point of both is Napier, which is about 4 hours north-east of Wellington. To get there, you go through the Wairarapa, which is basically an inland farming and low-lying mountain region in the southern North Island.

The Wairarapa not known for being very exciting. However, as you go through its various towns, you can hit Martinborough, which is a so-so wine-tasting town (the South Island is better for oenophiles, in my not-too-informed opinion), and also Carterton, which, while otherwise unremarkable, has the Wild Oats Bakery, which one of my books billed as having the best blueberry muffin ever. As we hit town at about 9:00am, that was too good a recommendation to pass up. Assessment: it was both distinctive and delectable, though truth be told I don't know how to rank blueberry muffins.

In any event, as you can see here, during winter the mountains of the Ruahine Range (point #1 on the map) are nicely dusted in snow. Before you get to Napier (point #2), you can take a short detour into Hastings, which has Te Mata Peak. That's where I took the pictures that have an elevated perspective. Pretty nice views. Finally, this post includes a picture from north of Napier, looking back on the city.

I should say this: because our goal was the East Cape, we didn't really spend much time in Hawke's Bay. But it has quite a lot to offer. Napier is the center of a bustling wine region; the bay and beaches themselves were very pretty; about an hour inland lies Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera National Park, both of which I'm dying to see but had to hold off for another time; and there's apparently a very nice track along the beach, in addition to a bundle of other trails and forests. Napier is also known for it's art deco architecture, though I was a bit underwhelmed by it. However, with lots of galleries, vineyards, and other distractions, I could see spending a long weekend there and staying busy the whole time. Finally, Napier is the launch pad to Cape Kidnappers, which supposedly includes a great gannett colony and rugged scenery. Not to mention New Zealand's answer to Bandon Dunes and Pebble Beach. Saving that for another trip!