Untethered

 Hello from the sunny side of  NZ! Napier is a fun beach holiday resort town filled with plenty of nostalgia.  The city was totally destroyed due to an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt itself in Art Deco architecture.  These "still used" buildings have been wonderfully preserved providing a feast for the eyes with their pastel colors and signature patterns.  We enjoyed sunny days and the warmest temperatures we've experienced in the past 6 months.  It was certainly a flip-flop kinda town which made us feel like we were back in Florida.    Napier is located in the famous Hawke's Bay wine producing region.    This area produces 90% of New Zealand's Syrah, Merlot and Cabernets while also producing some fabulous Chardonnays.  Here the vineyards are large enough to produce wines for export so NZ wines you find in a US wine store may be produced here.  We visited the Mission Estate, the first vineyard established in the area by french ...

 Kia Ora, We've been sightseeing NZ's capital city, Wellington, which is located on the southern tip of the North Island.  It's known as The Windy City due to the blustery winds that blow regularly.  Wellywood, as the locals call it, has wind gusts up to 38 mph for 178 days of the year!  It's a pretty, old city with narrow streets, houses neatly stacked up the hills and a vibrant harbor.    Wellington's skyline  Cars line the streets as these houses have only stairs leading to them. The main capital building is called the Beehive by the press.  Notice there are NO security barriers.   The NZ library of Congress   Rhododendrons grow enormous here! Nothing says spring like tulips!! After two days of some very drippy weather, we were glad to be heading east to Greytown.  Nestled in the midst of fruit/veggie fields and vineyards, we stayed in a delightful cottage with a wonderful host.  The wines of the Martinborough region are les...