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Hawke's Bay

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Sample the finer things in life in a beautiful region where a stunning Art Deco city nestles between the blue Pacific and the sun-bleached hills of wine country.

Explore a charming seaside city where the fresh whites of perfectly preserved Art Deco buildings contrast against a blue sky. From Marine Parade lined with Norfolk pines to the boutiques and café culture of the CBD, Napier is easily one of New Zealand’s most appealing destinations. You’ll quickly discover this region is generously blessed. Sunny and warm, Hawke’s Bay is the oldest wine-growing region in New Zealand and remains a top producer of good wines. Excellent hiking and mountain biking, and a stunning cliff-top golf course, complete the recipe for an unforgettable holiday.

DO IT. Sample the latest vintage at one of the many wineries, play golf at spectacular Cape Kidnappers, take an Art Deco walking tour, mountain bike down mighty Te Mata Peak, buy fresh fruit from the farm gate, dress up to the nines and celebrate at the Art Deco Festival in February.

Destinations

Hastings Wine and fruit-growing region south of Napier.
Havelock North Charming rural Hawke’s Bay village.
Napier Extraordinary Art Deco architecture and fine wine.

Getting there and around

Air Napier Airport offers domestic flights to main centres. There are ten direct daily flights from Auckland, six from Wellington and two from Christchurch.
Road Napier is 2 hours from Taupo and 4 hours, 30 minutes from Wellington via Palmerston North. Note that the Napier – Taupo Road is a 142-kilometre highway through a mountain range. In parts it is steep and winding, and it requires careful driving. The road may be closed due to snow from time to time during winter. Check www.nzta.govt.nz for current road conditions. Coaches provide regular services and shuttles operate locally, with wine tours a specialty.

Insider's tip

In the Napier suburb of Taradale is one of only two Art Deco-style McDonald’s restaurants in the world!

Shaking up history

At 10:30am on 3 February 1931, Napier was hit by a devastating earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter Scale. The town was virtually levelled and over 3,600 hectares of coastline was thrust upward several feet. The rebuilding of the town resulted in the Art Deco architecture that makes Napier famous today.

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Art Deco architecture

The streets of Napier and Hastings are packed with a treasure-trove of Art Deco-era buildings, perfectly preserved and boasting quirky motifs unique to their New Zealand roots.

Fine wine

Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s premier wine-producing regions. Mission Vineyards, established 150 years ago to make sacramental wine, is the nation’s oldest surviving wine producer.

Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony

Cape Kidnappers is home to the largest mainland gannet colony in the world, occupied by hundreds of seabirds that seem entirely unafraid of human visitors.

Te Mata Peak

A short drive from Napier, the 399-metre summit of Te Mata Peak offers breathtaking views of Hawke’s Bay and beyond, to Mt Ruapehu, on clear days.

Great cafés and shopping

Despite its small size, Napier has a very cosmopolitan central shopping precinct crammed with interesting boutiques, antique stores and enticing eateries.

Havelock North

South of Napier, near the base of Te Mata Peak, picturesque Havelock North offers village-style shopping and cute country pubs in the heart of a fertile fruit-growing district.

 

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