New Zealand Backpackers

This has to be one of the most beautiful parts of the North Island Napier is really trendy with its Art Deco buildings that were rebuilt after the earthquake in 1931 destroyed most of the city. This is a really cool place to spend sometime and there is a hostel here that used to be an old prison which is really cool and a little freaky as it still has the bars on the doors and windows. This is also a really great place to find fruit picking work in the summer months. From Napier up the coast you go through some of the quietest parts of the country as you go past Gisborne (somewhere not to stay to long thought there is good surf) you come to a small beach where the movie Whale Rider was filmed and if you stay there long enough and get friendly with the locals you will hear a story or two form the filming and may even meet a few of the extras. The journey up the coast from here is stunning, there are several amazing backpackers where if you get up at dawn you can be one of the first people to see the sun rise.