I spent the next two days exploring Napier, starting with the National Aquarium of New Zealand. Admission for adults is $16.20; I don't know why the extra 20 cents is needed. The aquarium offers many exhibits such as: dinosaur fossils, living coral, tsunami display, kiwi enclosure, reptiles, squid display, and a large fish tank called the Oceanarium. Secretly, I always wanted to have pet fish of my own, so walking around the aquarium gave me ideas on what kind of fish I'll be buying for my apartment. The fishes on displays were divided into geographic areas such as African Cichlids, Asian Tropical, Asian Paddyfield, and Koi & Goldfish.
One fish I particularly liked were the black Pacu fish that can grow to 80cm long! There was a tank dedicated to the piranhas - the fish with sharp devouring teeth. I could use some of those fish for security purposes at my future apartment. On a historical note, the aquarium displays a surviving fish from the Second World War: a white, black spotted Panther Grouper (pun intended). Come to think about it, I've also wanted to have some pet reptiles too. My apartment is going to be a wild jungle! Some of the reptiles on display were: a large crocodile that didn't move (I should have asked if it was fake), turtles, lizards, and a large sea turtle. As for the Kiwi Enclosure display, it's dark & you can't use flash when taking pictures of the Kiwi birds. That's not really a problem since it's near impossible to get a good picture of them in the dark. I managed to spot one at the back, hiding behind the bushes.
The best display is the Oceanarium, a large tank with a glass walkway going through it. You can walk & enjoy the hundreds of fish swimming over & around you, giving you the feeling that you're under water. After photographing the sharks & stingrays in the Oceanarium I bought a snack from the aquarium cafe & left.
I proceeded north towards the port, passing by children playing, and skateboarders trying to show off their abilities to onlookers. The port is located on the northern tip of the city & is surrounded by barbed wire fences and train tracks. There wasn't much activity happening that day but there were plenty of cargo crates to look at. From there, I continued to walk around Bluff Hill along Breakwater Road, and then around Hospital Hill using Ahuriri Road & Hyderabad Road. The scenery along this northern coast is mostly industrial but there are some hotels, shops, and a marina as well.
For dinner, my brother & I decided to try the nearby Steak Out Restaurant on Marine Parade Road. Because of a light headache, I decided not to have any alcohol. I ordered a T-Bone & my brother ordered the Monster Rump Steak. The steaks were good but I have to say that the salad bar was not up to standard. The vegetables didn't taste fresh; more like raw & decomposing. Maybe the decline in quality was because the restaurant had been up for sale for the last 3 weeks.
The following evening, (after exploring the Onekawa & Pirimai neighbourhoods), my brother & I chose to celebrate our last day in Napier at Rosie O'Gradys Irish Pub. There was already a crowd inside but we managed to get a table after showing identification. I still get ID'd despite being way over the legal drinking age. My friends have previously described me as a '16 year old who can buy alcohol.' Having worked up quite an appetite, we started with a shrimp cocktail, followed by a plate of nachos, and finished off with a plate of fish & chips. To wash it all down, I had two glasses of Guinness & my brother had Coke. The food was good, the atmosphere was great, but I was unable to get the waitresses phone numbers. After paying our tab, we headed back to the hostel, packed our bags, and went to sleep.
In my opinion, Napier is a vacation town while trying to mimic Los Angeles and/or Miami with all the palm trees. The people here are pretty laid back & there is stuff to do and explore. The best time to come would be in mid-February because that's when Art Deco Weekend happens. The last time something bad happened was the 3 day Napier Siege back in May 2009 so it's pretty safe. If you need to take a break from travelling the North Island, consider the town of Napier to be your resting stop.
To Be Continued . . .
(Post 8 of 10)
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