Noon Report:

• Position: S 39° 28.46′, E 176° 55.04′
• Speed: Moored
• Course: Moored

Because we were still at sea (not arriving until noonish) there was a 9:30 forum with our Resident Historian: “Maori Symbols and Meanings”.

She reviewed symbols seen in Maori architecture, and jewelry drawing comparisons to symbolism in European architecture, use of color, and modes of dress.

She discussed in some detail the symbolism in the design of the Wharenui in a Marae. (NOTE: If you read WC044 before 3:00 pm Mountain Time on Saturday 2/4/23 you will want to reread the section of that post dealing with our visit to the Marae. I have made extensive corrections to naming of structures. Now back to the forum…)

She discussed the Ta Moko (facial Moko worn by men) and Moko Kauae (lip and chin Moko worn by women) their symbolic significance, their role in identifying lineage and status, and their growing acceptance as legitimate cultural expression:

Returning to our stateroom we napped, read, worked on stuff and watched as we entered the port and backed into our place at the dock.

Following lunch we hopped a shuttle bus for the short ride into town where we spent the next couple of hours wandering around the central business district checking out the shops, buying Cheryl a greenstone necklace, and taking photos of some of the best examples of art deco buildings.

The city was largely destroyed in an earthquake in 1931. Much of the rebuilding was done in the then popular art deco style. While this included many of the homes, we focused on the business district.

Here are a few of the buildings we saw. In another post I will include all the building photos.

A couple of other interesting sights:

Wandering along the waterfront back to the shuttle bus stop we visited ‘Pania of the Reef’ – who was captivated by the voices of the sea people and swam out to meet them. When she tried to return to her lover she was transformed into the reef which lies beyond the Napier breakwater.

Returning to the ship we wrote comments on past blog posts and worked on photos until time for church.

Tonight in the cafe was “Gyro night”

Which would have been fine (though Cheryl had one and suggested that it was more of a panini in a pita, with mayonnaise rather than tzatziki sauce). On the other hand, to get to the Gyro station you had to pass the normal serving line.

At BBB we scored our best yet – 16 of 24 (would have been 17 if I had known they were writing down the wrong answer to which ‘Alice’ book came first. But we got 16 because I was overruled on turmeric vs. saffron, so it evens out.) Afterwords we were discussing martinis and whether they should be shaken or stirred and a member of the bar staff happened to be passing by so we sought his advice. Then one of us thought it would be a good idea to test the theory. I can definitely confirm that a stirred chocolate martini is excellent. I’m not sure what kind of a test that was, but it seemed reasonable at the time. More research maybe?

So that’s the day. We left about 6:00 for Wellington. Another day, another port, another exciting place to explore.

But now we sleep.

Nite all, R