Havelock North

This post is not in chronological order… since it was so long in between them I forgot about this cool part of my NZ travel but it was fun so I thought I’d mention it.  When I first got to Hawke’s Bay I stayed with Kate and Anna’s parents in their amazing house with a beautiful huge garden and awesome view of the hills.  Jane and Brian let me relax at their house and on their back porch in the sun with the great view while they were out playing golf, bridge, and other various activities people do once retired.  I also spent some time exploring the surrounding area, including the Havelock North Village, Hastings, Napier, and Waimarama beach, half touring and half searching for places to live during vintage.  I may have been influenced by their opinions on different parts of the area, as I was warned to not live in the Maori areas, or too far away from the winery.  In the evenings after a home-cooked dinner we usually watched tv and they would serve a “cuppa” (cup of tea) and an Afghan (a delicious chocolatey “biscuit” (cookie) that I’m pretty sure was also home made).  They gave me tea with milk and said they would Anglicize me while I was staying there.  It was great fun.  They also had a little high-energy little dog, Susie, that made friends easily and loved to go for walks, so that was one of my daily activities.  She also liked to sprint around the yard with limited provocation, and then to sit in your lap on the couch or outside on the porch.  Although if it was too hot she would lie in the shade with legs stretched out in all directions.  She followed me around the house when no lap was available, and even seemed to remember me when I came back to visit a couple months later.  Unfortunately I don’t seem to have any pictures of this time.  I’ll have to visit again and snatch a couple. 

My parents even liked Susie, and they usually don’t like small dogs.  My parents visited New Zealand, supposedly to see me and what I was up to, but they mostly toured around in other areas, and visited Hawke’s Bay at the end of their trip for a few days.  The James’s had them over for dinner one night, and I started work a day late so I could hang out with them during their first day here.  Unfortunately it rained during most of their stay so my dad didn’t get to golf at Cape Kidnappers, but it was good because as I mentioned before they were able to fix my busted tires while they were here.   Mom and Dad stayed in Ahuriri, north of Napier, and somehow got lost each time going back to the hotel until the very last day.  Their hotel was cute, very close to the water, and apparently near some of the best restaurants.  We went up Te Mata peak, which has great views of the whole Bay, and I took a couple pictures: