I’m not sure what to do today. I feel a bit lazy, but also don’t want to stay at this hostel. It’s an okay place, but not really appealing to stay longer. I’m doubting between heading east or west, because Taupo is right in the middle of the North Island. I decide to head east to go to Napier, to visit my Kiwi friend Chelsea. It’s about two hours driving, so not too far.

I drive to the Starbucks in town and find a parking place right in front of the coffee place. I think by now I’ve visited almost all Starbucks coffee places of New Zealand. I text my friend that I’m in town and a bit later she arrives and we walk by the shore and through the city. It’s nice to see her again and to see downtown a bit better. Last time I was here, I didn’t see so much of the city, because we went hiking on one of the hills outside the city. There are many pretty buildings from the 30s and on a sunny day like today, it’s nice to walk here and look around. At the end of the afternoon Chelsea has to leave again and I walk further through downtown by myself. I find a nice Irish bar with a small library in the back which looks like a perfect place for me to read a book. I order a pint of Guinness and read for a while.

I get the great idea to get pizza for dinner and have a movie night in my camper. I drive to the supermarket to get some beers and then to Pizzahut for a pepperoni pizza. From there it’s only a couple of minutes driving to the campsite next to the ocean. Having a nice pizza, a beer and a movie night is what makes traveling more comfortable. You need comfort from time to time to relax, sometimes that’s in form of a shower and a bed and other times it’s in form of a relaxing evening.

When the movie is finished I go outside for a moment and there are also many stars to see here. Not as many as at Rivendell, because this campsite is right next to the city, but still there are many. This campsite is really nice, because it’s right at the ocean, but also only a couple of minutes driving from downtown. I think I’ll stay in Napier for a few days before I continue traveling.