Thursday, 8 Feb -- Napier NZ

Photos of the Day
Napier was almost completely destroyed in an earthquake and fire in 1931. With determination and good leadership, the  town was rebuilt in about 18 monrths, to a standard designed to withstand future earthquakes. The style of the time was Art Deco,

so most of the buildings reflect that style, and are under the protection of the council and the preservation group. We drove around the city, then watched a film describing and explaining the events of 1931-33. Most fascinating is the fact that huge new areas of land were pushed to the surface by the earthquake and now form parts of the city. We walked around the central area, and were able to go inside some of the buildings as well.
Back on board, we joined a different team for trivia, since many people were still ashore, and I picked up some points for the highest score on the Mensa quiz. Before dinner was the Captain's Block Party. Everyone went into the hallways where we mingled with our neighbours, were served drinks and appies, and had a brief moment with the Captain. Several of our neighbours are on the World Cruise that left Los Angeles several days ago and will arrive back there in May, after something like 131 days.
After dinner we enjoyed the show, featuring music on the piano, drums, and guitar. This was our last day on the North Island, so tomorrow we'll discover whether there are differences between the 2 islands.

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