I seen a ghost

Then like I seen a ghost, man I'll be movin' my feet

Then like I seen a ghost 

Robert dropped me off in the town centre the next morning and I called in to next place I was staying, The Masonic Hotel, where I would be the guest of Craig and Neil. It was still pretty early and the receptionist showed me to the luggage room so I could leave my case while I went to explore. I had some time to kill before I could check in so I found a nearby coffee shop so I could get myself a nice flat white (my new favourite coffee) and some breakfast. While I munched my way through a muffin (that’s not a euphemism) I read through a booklet for a self-guided Art Deco walk that Robert had given me. It was a nice day so having finished my coffee I set off on the walk.

The coffee shop I was in was near the start of the walk so it was easy to find the building marked number 1 on the map. The route itself was circular so I could have started where I was and done the first few places on the route last but I like to start at the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start I’ve been told). It took me the whole morning to do the entire walk which finished at the Art Deco Shop where I called in to buy a couple of postcards for the family to add to the collection. I queued patiently behind a couple of little old ladies who were chatting away to the woman behind the counter about how much they had enjoyed seeing all the 1930s building. I suspected they were probably of the same vintage as the buildings.

Back at the Masonic having checked in and settled in to my room I made my way to reception, in an attempt to find Craig. He had been the guy that I had been emailing following the introduction from David at Gay Travel. The receptionist was talking to someone so I waited until she had finished her conversation with the man, who remained at the reception desk. I asked if Craig was around and the man who had been talking to the receptionist asked why I wanted to speak to him. I explained who I was and why I wanted to speak to him, without mentioning the 80 Gays thing as I didn’t know who he was. The man turned out to be Craig’s partner Neil. He told me that Craig was busy but said he was free and asked me if I fancied a glass of wine. I said I could probably manage one so we made our way to the hotel bar.

After me telling Neil about my travels we chatted about the history of the hotel. The current building was in fact the third Masonic Hotel on the site. The first building was destroyed by a fire  back in the 1890s. The second building also fell victim to fire that followed the 1931 earthquake. The current Art Deco hotel was built during the build post-earthquake rebuild and was the longest standing of the three hotels. The hotel was undergoing refurbishment and many of the Art Deco features are being restored. It has such character and is a little like stepping in to a film set. I half expected to see Hercule Poirot walking in to solve some mystery that had just unfolded in one of the rooms. Neil also told me that the place is reportedly haunted, with staff and guests both claiming to have seen ghostly apparitions. Neil had to head off to a meeting so I thanked him for the wine and the history lesson. The two glasses of wine had gone to my head a little as I had not had anything to eat since breakfast. I headed out to get something from the nearest supermarket and had a room picnic.

Craig called me that evening and asked what plans I had for the following day. I told him that I had nothing concrete planned if he had suggestions. In reality I hadn’t even thought about what I would do. He said he would be around so suggested a bit of a tour of the city and then calling in at a local winery. I said that sounded like a good plan. I had a quiet evening in watching a bit of TV and chilling. As I was drifting off to sleep there was suddenly a loud bang from in my room. I sat bolt upright in bed, heart pounding. I switched on the lamp and looked round, the stories of the place being haunted racing through my head. The cause wasn’t supernatural and I didn’t need to be Hercule Poirot to solve the mystery. The picture that had been hanging on the wall above the sofa was now on the sofa, the adhesive hook that it was hanging from had come off. Relieved that I wasn’t sharing the room with a ghost I headed back to sleep.

Man I'll be movin' my feet

The next morning I was up and out for a spot of breakfast and a walk before heading back to the hotel where I met Craig. Our tour of the city took in a couple of places that hadn’t been on the walking tour of the previous day. We headed up to the top of Bluff Hill Domain to get a good look of the city from up high. From the vantage point it was really easy to see the vast tract of land that had risen from beneath the sea after the 1931 earthquake. Our tour took us out along the coast and up into the gorgeous countryside that New Zealand is known for. People kept telling me that the South Island was even more stunning, which meant it must be pretty spectacular given the current amazing views I had.

After it reached a respectable hour to start drinking (11am) we made our way to Craggy Range, a nearby winery in Hawke’s Bay wine country. It wasn’t a label I had heard of before. The woman doing our tasting asked me if I had much experience of New Zealand wines. I had to admit that I would struggle to name more than one NZ wine, Oyster Bay being the only one that sprung to mind. It tended to get lumped in with Australian wine in the supermarket that I frequented. I tasted everything that she poured out for me, studiously avoiding use of the spittoon. Purchases were made before we headed off on our tour, taking in Havelock and Hasting North before having a late lunch and finally returning to Napier. I thanked Craig for the tour and headed up to my room where I had a little siesta. I would be leaving Napier early in the morning to head to my final stop on the North Island, Wellington, so I made sure my case was packed before heading out for a spot of dinner and an early night. Nothing went bump in the night and I slept soundly until my alarm went off the next morning, telling me it was time to move on again.

“Then like I seen a ghost, man I'll be movin' my feet” 
Lyrics from Dancin’ on the sidewalk from the musical Fame