WE'VE been travelling now three years and seen many countries. But there haven't been too many where Jamie and I have each felt we would like to stay for, say, more than six months of the year.
But Napier on the north island of New Zealand definitely hit the spot for us. From the moment we arrived by coach, having passed through stunning scenic locations coming down from Auckland, we felt right at home.
It has a bit of everything - the feel of northern California, landscape of Cordoba, Argentina, smells of Croatia, water that looks like the Adriatic, hills to rival Brecon and, in the summer, sunshine like in Greece.
There are vineyards everywhere, the streets are clean, the people nice and friendly, the parks modern and well looked after and the 'traffic' flowing. There are gorgeous rivers where children can play safely. Heck, there's even three CrossFit gyms in the region!
There is no shortage of things to do and see. Excellent beaches are within easy access. There are hiking and cycling trails all over.
For food, farmers selling fresh fruit and vegetables are abundant. And for shopping, while downtown isn't exactly bustling and huge, there is little that exists in big cities that cannot be found here.
We were fortunate enough to stay here with friends of Jamie's and able to have a good look around. The more we did, the more spectacular it seemed and the more we liked it.
Even the drinking water here is cleaner/safer than elsewhere - no flouride!
In terms of access, Napier lies about four hours-plus from Auckland in the north and about the same from the capital, Wellington, to the south.
As much as my wife raves about Wellington, Napier has nicer weather (more sunshine) and the ocean waters are warmer, if only marginally so.
It's a special place on planet earth - at least that's how we feel about it.
Wow this looks amazing!!
This place might be gorgeous if you can stay there more then 6 months! I wish I could have been to as many places as you guys so I could compare.
Good luck!
Posted by: Paulina | 21 January 2013 at 02:33 PM