Hawkes Bay

Need to know ...

Hawke’s Bay is an ideal region for wine tasting, al fresco lunches and long walks. Sampling the local produce will be high on the to-do list of any traveller: Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s leading producer of award-winning red wines.

Main Centres

Napier – Art Deco and wine. Hastings and Havelock North – wine country.

Getting There

By Air – Hawke’s Bay Airport has domestic flights (10 minutes from Napier, 15 minutes from Hastings).
By Road – 2 hours, 30 minutes from Taupo. 4 hours, 50 minutes from Wellington. Coaches provide regular services.

Getting Around

Discover the region at your own pace with a rental car. Coach and shuttle services operate around the area with wine tours a specialty.

Eating Out

Exclusive

Vidal Estate Winery (913 St Aubyn St, Hastings, t +64 6 876 8105).
Mission Estate (Church Rd, Taradale, Napier, t +64 6 845 9350).
Terroir Restaurant (253 Waimarama Rd, Havelock North, t +64 6 873 0143).

Casual

East Pier (Hardinge Rd, Napier, t +64 6 834 0035) – beachfront setting.
Café Mahia (476 East Coast Rd, Mahia, t +64 6 837 5094) – spectacular views.
The Thirsty Whale (62 West Quay, Napier, t +64 6 835 8815) – seafood.
Pipi’s Café (16 Joll Rd, Havelock North, t +64 6 877 8993) – gourmet pizza.

Where to Drink

Stylish Bar

Caution Dining Lounge (West Quay, Napier, t +64 6 835 0028).
Diva Bar & Bistro (Napier Rd, Havelock North, t +64 6 877 5149).
Provodore (60 West Quay, Napier, t +64 6 834 0189).

Cosy pub

The Thirsty Whale (62 West Quay, Napier, t +64 6 835 8815).
Rose & Shamrock (Napier Rd, Havelock North, t +64 6 877 2999).
Rosie O’Grady’s (Hastings St, Napier, t +64 6 835 8698).

Coffee fix

Café DMP (80 Dickens St, Napier, t +64 6 834 4674).
Hatuma Café (2398 SH2, Waipukurau, t +64 6 858 9727).
Thorp’s Coffee House (40 Hastings St, Napier, t +64 6 835 6699).

Something to Take Home

The Art Deco Shop (163 Tennyson St, Napier, t +64 6 835 0022).
Prenzel On The Bay (180 Havelock Rd, Havelock North, t +64 6 870 8524) – European-style spirits.
Mia (14 Hastings St, Napier, t +64 6 835 5995) – art and jewellery.

Sights

Catch a tour to the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony – the largest and most accessible mainland gannet colony in the world.

The essence of Napier – smooth cream or white Art Deco buildings against a blue Hawke’s Bay sky.

Action

Climb to the top of Te Mata Peak, 400m above sea level, for a vista that takes in Ruahine, Kaweka and Maungaharuru Ranges and Cape Kidnappers. Ruapehu, on the Central Plateau, is visible in the distance.

The peak is also popular with hang-gliders. Head inland and go hiking in the remote Kaweka and Ruahine Ranges.

Relax

Start on Marine Parade and explore the unique Art Deco city of Napier. Nowhere else can you see such a variety of buildings in this unmistakable style. Don’t miss the National Tobacco Company in Ahuriri, The Daily Telegraph Building and Taradale’s McDonald’s McDeco – one of only two Art Deco McDonald’s in the world.

THE experience

Wine tasting in New Zealand’s premier wine-producing region. Hawke’s Bay’s Mission Vineyards is the oldest surviving wine producer in New Zealand. Over 150 years ago, French Catholic missionaries planted grapes to produce sacramental and table wine. The winery is still in operation today, producing wines that are known all around the country.

Websites to Check Out

www.hawkesbaynz.com
Hawke’s Bay Travel Information

Did you know?

Notable Culture

The Otatara Pa on Gloucester Street in Napier was inhabited by Maori in pre-European times.

Moment in History

In 1931 Napier experienced a major earthquake, measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale, which dramatically reshaped the landscape – it was the rebuilding program that followed which resulted in Napier’s impressive collection of Art Deco architecture.

Note This!

Hawke’s Bay is home to the longest place name in the world: ‘Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu’. It means: ‘The hilltop, where Tamatea with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his koauau to his beloved’.