Today is Matariki, the start of the Māori New Year. For the Māori it signals a time to remember those who have passed, celebrate the present and plan for the future. It’s a time to spend with family and friends. It was made a public holiday in 2022. Matariki is the Pleiades star cluster, and the holiday is the celebration of its first rising in late June or early July.
Good morning Napier
We woke to a sunny morning, and headed to the Marine Parade Viewing Platform to enjoy the sights of the ocean and the black sand beach, and snap a few last shots of Napier on our way out of town.
Te Mata Peak
Te Mata Peak, south of Hastings, rises 400 metres above sea level. From the summit of the peak there are panoramic views in every direction. Fortunately for us, you can drive right to the top (although the road is steep and narrow and a little scary!). It is popular with hikers and mountain bikers. By the time we reached the top the clouds had covered the sun, but the views were still jaw-dropping.
Hastings
We stopped in Hastings for some lunch and a bit of shopping. There’s a lovely art deco building, including a particularly attractive clock tower and we spotted some interesting sculptures and murals (of course).
Pekapeka Wetland
On a bit of a whim we stopped at Pekapeka Wetlands, is one of the few remaining large wetlands in Hawke’s Bay. It was a lovely walk on boardwalks (mostly) and we enjoyed stretching the legs. There are apparently lots of endangered birds and 82 different plant species there – I can’t say we saw all those, but there were some nice swans. It was badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023
Some random sightings
The rest of the afternoon we drove to our friend’s house in the Wairarapa region of the North Island, where we will stay for the next couple of nights. Here are some things we spotted on the road – a clock shop (closed for Matariki), a roadside, outdoor laundromat and a pair of giant kiwis.
This mural by artist SwiftMantis depicts five films which were made in New Zealand. Can you identify them all? 
