We were looking forward to Market Day in Napier, so we got up a bit earlier than usual and headed towards the Havelock North Showgrounds where the markets were set up. They were quite extensive and very well attended. It was great to see almost every person attending obeying the rules, wearing their masks and making an effort to keep their distance from others. There were a few renegades though who avoided both mask use and signing in.
Somehow we manage to buy ourselves some treats including some custard danish pastries; great looking breads for Bruce, and some amazingly healthy looking Black Krim tomato plants that are in for a cross country ride.
After the markets we headed out to try and find a coffee but it was a bit hard to find. Eventually we found a place in the town where we had some lunch and then headed back to camp. We had a quiet afternoon of reading and knitting (Dianne and I) and a nap for Bruce.
This morning we decided to visit the Napier Prison – NZ’s oldest penitentiary. It was set up in 1903 and not closed until 1998. Many of New Zealand’s most notorious criminals have been held here, and more troubling, many 13-15 years old children who made some bad choices. Hangings were also conducted there until they were stopped in 1957. However, the death penalty itself was not stopped in NZ until 1989.
We opted for the self guided prison tour and while it was interesting, and we learned quite a bit about the facility and how it was run, I was somewhat disappointed with the lack of effort made to keep the premises maintained, clean and tidy. We were going to to do the Escape room, where they lock you up for an hour in a room, with clues, and you have to try and break out of it. However, just looking at the way things were looked after elsewhere in the prison, I felt the room would likely be in a similar state and being there for an hour (if we did not manage to make our way out) would be a bit much.
We had a good look around though and then made our way back into town for lunch.
The remainder of the day was spent doing practical things such as refilling the vans with water, emptying the tanks, and preparing to move on tomorrow.
Away From Home NZ 