On Saturday morning we said goodbye to our hosts, Peter and Glenda, and after a brief stop at the Farmers' Market for provisions, we left Gisborne for Napier. It was a fairly wet drive, and we stopped only for coffee and a snack in Wairoa, arriving in Napier in the mid-afternoon.
My cousins, Denzil and Maureen, each have their own house in Napier. Maureen lives in a small cottage, more than 100 years old, on the flat land near Ahuriri. Houses this old are rare in Napier, as the city was devastated by a major earthquake in 1931. Denzil lives in a larger house on Hospital Hill, so we stayed at Denzil's house.
After several hours of catching up on news and sharing which books to read, we headed out for dinner, to the restaurant at the Mission Winery. It is a very popular restaurant, with great views of Napier, and excellent food. I had the best meal that I have eaten in a long time....every mouthful was a flavour sensation. I missed the main courses, but did manage to photograph the desserts before they were eaten. Fantastic!
On Sunday we visited the Hastings Farmers' Market, and were impressed by the variety of produce and potions. One stall was selling several different types of figs, so we learned a lot about figs, sampled them all, and left with a selection of figs for later consumption. The peppers and carrots on another stall were particularly colourful.
The balance of Sunday was spent sharing family history information, followed by dinner at a local Indian restaurant. How decadent, eating out two nights in a row.
On Monday morning, before leaving town, we had coffee with Glenys, a woman who Marlene first met in Palmerston North in the late 70s when they both had young babies. They have kept in touch through the years, and enjoy getting together in person when they are able.
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