Napier (4 days)

We spent the last four days in beautiful Napier. Originally, we only planned to stay for 3 nights, but somehow this city captivated us... maybe a little bit in love! We drove from Rotorua for just under 3 hours with a quick driver change stop until we crossed a bridge and reached Napier. Once we arrived, we picked up some brochures from the information center, intending to leisurely stroll back to our car, as we had parked a bit far. However, our stroll turned into a brisk walk when we saw a parking officer heading towards our car, and Noah sprinted ahead, successful in avoiding a ticket! For the rest of the day, we explored the city, the promenade, BurgerKing, and our hotel room. After the first night, we walked nearly 15km along the promenade, the port, and the Ahiruru residential area. We were accompanied by bright sunshine for the first 10km, but unfortunately, the last 5km were in the rain, and guess who was wearing white pants? We ended the evening at an Irish pub, enjoying a delicious burger and wine (Napier is actually part of New Zealand's oldest and second largest wine region). On Friday, we cycled nearly 50km on our rented bikes. Our destination was Hastings and after a quick break, we cycled back to Napier. In the evening, my butt was most excited for the bed, as my saddle was not the most comfortable! On the last day, we visited the oldest prison in New Zealand from 1862, hiked to the Bluff Hill Lookout, went grocery shopping, and got warm, fresh donuts from the Donutmobil. Tomorrow, we will leave our favorite city on the North Island (so far!) and head towards Wellington.