Napier Prison is located on Bluff Hill, which is a great look out point since the rest of the town is down at sea level. Originally, the hill was used by Maori elders to study the night sky as they used astronomy to figure out the best times for planting, harvesting, and fishing. Later when Europeans arrived, the bluff was converted to an army barracks and a place for a lighthouse before the prison took over. Thanks, Tour Guide Danielle!
But prison is actually only part way up the hill. If you climb up to the very top, there is a great lookout spot complete with benches and a large compass/bowl installation that details the surroundings of Napier. On one of my first nights in town, the inmates all headed up to the top to have a few drinks and look out over Napier, the ocean, and the unfortunate looking Ahuriri port, which is full of shipping containers, lumber, and the odd cruise ship. It's quiet up there at night, and quite lovely. We went up a number of evenings in the dark, and it always felt like a special place just for the inmates. It was also always made much more exciting by the fact that we walked through Sturm's Gully to get there, which is a small forest in between the residential zone and the park at the top.
Bluff Hill is actually a big tourist destination for Napier, and so I was determined to see it in all of its daytime glory at least once. So yesterday, I headed up with Kat and Destiny. It was nice to be able to see things other than the artificially lit up port, and the views were worth the climb. Still, the tourists made it less magical.
Tonight we headed up one last time as a farewell activity for me on my last night in prison, and the Bluff instantly regained its magic. We could hear some kids hollering in the forest on our way up, but their voices died away as we got closer to the lookout. The night sky was totally clear, so we all laid down to take in the stars. I enjoy star gazing at home, but I have never been too fussed to know what constellations I was looking at... At least until I came to the southern hemisphere. The unfamiliar star patterns have inspired me to learn a bit more about my own stars.
Destiny and I climbed into the bowl/compass to star gaze, and something about it gave us the giggles that were lost on the others. However, we were all on the same page as we watched satellites travel from one side of the sky to the other and shooting stars appear and disappear faster than we could share them with eachother.
At one point, I was asked to reflect on my favourite and least favourite parts of prison life. It was a hard question. I have had a lot of fun being a tour guide and scaring people with real stories from prison history. I also love being 5 minutes away from the ocean and having it lull me to sleep every night. Although I think the best part of prison was the amazing connections I made with my dear fellow inmates. I will miss them.
If I could ban all cockroaches from crawling around in my cell and have the writing portion of my job happen at 2AM when I'm used to writing, I think prison would have been close to perfect. As it is, I still can't complain and am sad to be leaving. Although I am getting super stoked to start exploring more of this beautiful country.
But prison is actually only part way up the hill. If you climb up to the very top, there is a great lookout spot complete with benches and a large compass/bowl installation that details the surroundings of Napier. On one of my first nights in town, the inmates all headed up to the top to have a few drinks and look out over Napier, the ocean, and the unfortunate looking Ahuriri port, which is full of shipping containers, lumber, and the odd cruise ship. It's quiet up there at night, and quite lovely. We went up a number of evenings in the dark, and it always felt like a special place just for the inmates. It was also always made much more exciting by the fact that we walked through Sturm's Gully to get there, which is a small forest in between the residential zone and the park at the top.
Bluff Hill is actually a big tourist destination for Napier, and so I was determined to see it in all of its daytime glory at least once. So yesterday, I headed up with Kat and Destiny. It was nice to be able to see things other than the artificially lit up port, and the views were worth the climb. Still, the tourists made it less magical.
Tonight we headed up one last time as a farewell activity for me on my last night in prison, and the Bluff instantly regained its magic. We could hear some kids hollering in the forest on our way up, but their voices died away as we got closer to the lookout. The night sky was totally clear, so we all laid down to take in the stars. I enjoy star gazing at home, but I have never been too fussed to know what constellations I was looking at... At least until I came to the southern hemisphere. The unfamiliar star patterns have inspired me to learn a bit more about my own stars.
Destiny and I climbed into the bowl/compass to star gaze, and something about it gave us the giggles that were lost on the others. However, we were all on the same page as we watched satellites travel from one side of the sky to the other and shooting stars appear and disappear faster than we could share them with eachother.
At one point, I was asked to reflect on my favourite and least favourite parts of prison life. It was a hard question. I have had a lot of fun being a tour guide and scaring people with real stories from prison history. I also love being 5 minutes away from the ocean and having it lull me to sleep every night. Although I think the best part of prison was the amazing connections I made with my dear fellow inmates. I will miss them.
If I could ban all cockroaches from crawling around in my cell and have the writing portion of my job happen at 2AM when I'm used to writing, I think prison would have been close to perfect. As it is, I still can't complain and am sad to be leaving. Although I am getting super stoked to start exploring more of this beautiful country.
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