Napier, NZ – February 9

Napier, NZ – February 9

We again woke up in time to watch our approach to Napier. The entrance into the harbor and the harbor itself are very small and there were already three freighters docked so it was a very tight turn into our spot. Of course, it went just fine and we were actually a bit early. My foot is pretty stiff so I decided to skip going into town and spend the day doing some of the Host stuff to get ready for Valentine's day and then relax. (since I'm writing this on the 10^th, I can add that my foot feels much better today!)

It was a beautiful day and after getting the Valentine's cards and candy ready I spent some time on the balcony watching the ships being loaded with lumber. That seems to be the main export here, huge amount of logs stacked on all the docks and being loaded into ships. Our guide yesterday said most of it goes to Japan. We drove through some logging areas on that trip and she showed us their process of clear cutting, and then stripping the branches. The slash stays on the ground for 6 months and then they burn the area – then they replant. It takes 19 years from replanting to the next harvest. That's pretty fast.