Christchurch to Napier

On Wednesday, we flew from Christchurch on South Island to Napier on the Eastern side of North Island. The flight process is pretty straight forward for an internal flight: go to the machine and collect your bag tags and tickets; label the bags and put them onto the conveyer belt; walk to through to the gate and wait. No security to go through and no restrictions on what you are carrying by way of liquids. This time we were on a Bombardier carrying about 50 people. 

We had overhead lockers and a flight hostess, so were served a cup of tea and a biscuit 

The flight was straightforward and we were able to get some good shots from the air. Here you can see a river bed with a number of streams, so this needs a long bridge to cross

Here you can see field patterns, some square, some triangular, some circular presumably with drainage or irrigation from the centre

When we arrived In Napier we took a taxi to the hotel. Our driver was from Burnley!

Napier was struck by an earthquake in 1931 and most of the buildings were destroyed. It was rebuilt in the style of the time, Art Deco, and is now seen as a museum of the style with so many buildings in the one place. We chose our hotel partly because it was one of the few buildings to survive the earthquake and is therefore one of the oldest in town, built in 1919. 

A window of the hotel 

Most buildings have been adapted to modern use so you need to look up to see the original style

This is Marine Parade, which reminds me of the seaside of my childhood. 

Note the lady posing on the left. She was one of a number of people that we saw around town in fancy dress. 

Just after we left, the annual Art Deco festival took place where everyone dresses up. Lots of old cars also congregate and we saw some of them on their way down, the following day. This was an early arrival

Clive Park is in the centre of the city. 

This pub is close by

With a piano player outside

Bluff Hill overlooks the city, and is clearly the place to have a house. It has a Lighthouse Road but no lighthouse now.

It overlooks the port, where a cruise ship was berthed along with ships carrying logs and containers.

In the evening we strolled along the seafront just as the sun was setting behind th town.