Thursday, April 30, 2009

napier - brazen head ale house

we rolled into napier via roteroua (a town littered with hot springs boiling over into the landscape…very cool…but very stinky!), with an extra night to check out the scene. such a cute little coastal town with great architecture and loads of local wine!

less than an hour into being there, todd ran into an old friend from uni, who he hadn’t seen in years. yet another crazy coincidence. he took us out to a funky little bar and hooked us up with yummy coffee and his restaurant the next day…and a wine tour at church winery…delicious.

the brazen head ale house was a cute little irish pub, who drew a sweet crowd for a Sunday courtyard gig. quite a few local musos and music-lovers strolled in and stuck around for some lovely chats after the show. as it turned out, Steve, a guy we had met the night before, came along with some company and offered to show us his favorite surf spot…which was incredible. we followed him along, us in henry (the tourvan), he and scott in the relaxi taxi (a hippy bus that is literally any traveler’s dreamwheels -- well mine anyway). the bus was decked out with a great sound system, a lazyboy passenger’s seat, a master bedroom and two other bunks, a bathroom/shower and a full kitchen….just off of the lounge room! haha…ah, a home on wheels. We had a mega feast followed by a jam as it rained in this gorgeous little cove surrounded by cliffs and a splendid beach…which we so happily woke up to the next morning….

steve and scott kitted us out with an incredible night of memories and laughs, and insistently sent us off with a tour sponsorship. we could not have been more grateful for the heartwarming hospitality and unbelievably genuine characters of these two fine men.

we all look forward to crossing paths with these phenomenal tour-angels again soon…

f:)

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