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Napier, North Island

 

Napier is another favorite holiday spot for New Zealander's.  Napier and a city close by called Hastings are where they hold the Hastings Blossom Festival each year. This area is incredibly fertile and grows plants profusely. Many flowers bloom in this area and that is why the coming of spring and the Blossom Festival is celebrated in this area of New Zealand. All the floats are made of flowers and it is a beautiful sight to see the floats usher in the spring. 

Art Deco Buildings
Napier has had a renaissance of tourists for its art deco buildings. These are quite attractive and have been refurbished back to their original state. 
 

Gannet Colony and farm
Tours are offered to the gannet colony and this is worth a visit but hold your nose.  The gannet colony is on farmland. The gannets come here each year and hatch their chicks. Then they leave and fly to Au and fly to Australia.  The gannet colony is a neat sight but believe me the smell is awful.  I have seen many bird colonies but this one takes the cake for the smell. Stay down wind. This tour also includes a tour of the farm, gives a demonstrationves a demonstration of the sheep dogs and offers a delightful tea break with wonderful pastries. I would suggest taking this tour. 

 

The Gannet Colony in Napier - great setting	Sheep and more sheep

 

Wines and produce
This area is the country’s oldest winemaking region and is New Zealand’s leading producer of award winning red wines.  Fresh local produce and artisan food producers complemented by a vibrant arts scene and a rich Maori culture make this a very popular destination and the scene of many special events during the year.
 

Napier was also the site of one of the worst earthquakes to hit New Zealand. Many Maoris lived in this area so there is a lot of  Maori history in this vicinity.