For the first time in New Zealand we decided to spend two nights in the same location/campsite. Not far from Napier is Eskdale Park a forest with lots of mountain biking paths to explore, all we needed was some bikes and we were ready to go. Avanti Bikes in Taradale was the best bet and at $30 per bike for half a day, good value. As it were quiet they said there was no rush to return the bikes so we loaded the van, which in itself took what felt like half a day, and drove for around 45 minutes to Eskdale.

There is not a lot of car parking space at the two entrances but it was pretty quiet so we  unloaded, donned our safety helmets and set off with map in hand. It costs $7 per person for a park permit which last for 3 weeks which is great value if you are sticking around the area. Starting with a beginner path it soon proved to be fairly challenging as the paths are very narrow with lots of pine cones, roots and tree trunks to avoid. Once more confident we tackled some intermediate class routes with the Klingon and Luge routes our combined favourites.

Felling pretty knackered and ready for lunch we returned to the van at 1pm for tuna sandwiches before returning the bikes. More food shopping followed by a return to the campsite for showers and some evening entertainment provided by Peep Show on the laptop. The sunset that ensued was pretty awe-inspiring, doomsday style.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f2.0 & Olympus PEN, 17mm f2.8 & 100mm f2.8, processed in Lightroom 3)

After our usual breakfast, with the addition of some toast, we headed from rainy Taupo to Napier on the east coast to try and get some dryer weather. The sun was shining in Napier when we arrived but the odd shower did blow through whilst we wandered around the art deco town. We decided to have some mini golf fun whilst the sun was shining and up until hole 12 it was very close scoring with Helen in the lead. Then disaster stuck with two holes taking at least 10 shots meaning Dave eventually snuck victory.

We found the Napier Photographic Gallery which exhibited some nice work from local, national and international photographers. Neither of us were quite sure about the stage at the one end of the room partitioned off for a portrait photographer with some lack-lustre images and dodgy branding. If it’s to be a gallery with a cafe, keep it simple and keep it about the art on the walls!

Looking for somewhere cheap and cheerful can be difficult sometimes so bearing that in mind we did not want to pay the Napier prices for accommodation in a holiday park. Jason’s camping and caravan guide led us to Clive and the Clive Holiday Park at $14 each per night. They had some nice facilities and the sun was indeed shining. A 15 minute drive away is The Filter Room beer and cider tasting which offers the sampling of 6 decent sized glasses for $12! Great value and the beer garden made us feel very much at home. The 14% scrumpy was our favourite so we purchased a litre bottle to make the night fly that little bit more quickly.

After cooking our evening meal we explored the camp site and walked along the river path until sunset.

(Leica M9, Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0, Leica 90mm f/2.8, Zeiss 18mm f/4 ZM processed in Lightroom 3)