The first activity of the day was a bus downtown for a wine tasting. There were 10 wineries represented, and Cheryl tried quite a few. I enjoyed the finger food.

We walked around downtown, which was really unique. “Napier, New Zealand, is renowned as an Art Deco city because it was almost entirely rebuilt in that style following a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake and subsequent fires on February 3, 1931. Within two years, the commercial centre was reconstructed using the modern, cost-effective, and trendy architectural styles of the 1930s—primarily Art Deco, Stripped Classical, and Spanish Mission—which also offered superior earthquake resistance.“

Cheryl did some gem shopping.

We walked on the beach. It consisted of larger black river rock. No swimming was allowed as both the current and the winds were very strong. It was pretty to look at, though.

Some interesting images from our visit. When we returned to the ship, there was a collection of vintage cars lined up (likely to match the Art Deco city theme). Pretty cool.

The stoplight shows an image of both a human and a dog. How great is that?

Who knew there was a market for high-end porta-potties? New Zealanders, I guess.

Finally, ship maintenance is continuous. The Viking Sky went to sea about 90 minutes after Cheryl took the photo. I guess the paint dries quickly.

Michael Barnett gave a presentation on Wellington, our next stop. An interesting quote: “If it is not raining, it will be”. Wellington is the windiest capital city in the world. The wind originates in Antarctica and blows straight north. The city also sits on five (5!) fault lines and has numerous earthquakes a year.

Auckland was the capital for years, but the South Island population wanted the capital closer (or they would secede). Along with Wellington, Whanganui, Picton, Nelson, and Port Underwood were considered. The New Zealanders could not make a decision, so they asked three Australians (!) to visit the sites and make a recommendation. Hard to fathom that the government allowed a group from Australia to pick the location for their capital city.

Cheryl’s choir director, Sam, was the evening’s entertainment. He focused on songs from Broadway musicals.