Sights & Activities
As with Napier, Hastings was similarly devastated by the 1931 earthquake and also boasts some fine art-deco and Spanish Mission buildings, built in the aftermath. Main-street highlights include the Westerman’s Building OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (cnr Russell & Heretaunga St E, Hastings) , arguably the Bay’s best example of the Spanish Mission style, although there are myriad architectural gems here. The i-SITE stocks the Art Deco Hastings brochure ($1), detailing two self-guided walks.
OFFLINE MAP(www.tematapark.co.nz) Rising melodramatically from the Heretaunga Plains 16km south of Havelock North, Te Mata Peak (399m) is part of the 98-hectare Te Mata Trust Park. The summit road passes sheep trails, rickety fences and vertigo-inducing stone escarpments, cowled in a bleak, lunar-meets-Scottish-Highland atmosphere. From the lookout on a clear day, views fall away to Hawke Bay, Mahia Peninsula and distant Mt Ruapehu.
The park’s trails offer walks from 30 minutes to two hours: pick up the Te Mata Trust Park brochure from local i-SITEs.
Hastings City Art Gallery GALLERY
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP(HCAG; ;
www.hastingscityartgallery.co.nz; 201
Eastbourne St E, Hastings; 
10am-4.30pm) 
The city’s gallery presents
contemporary NZ and international art in a bright, purpose-built
space. Expect some wacky stuff (much wackier than Hastings
itself…).
Hastings Farmers Market FARMERS MARKET
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP(www.hawkesbayfarmersmarket.co.nz;
Showgrounds, Kenilworth Rd; 8.30am-12.30pm Sun) If you’re around on
Sunday, the Hastings market is mandatory. Bring an empty stomach,
some cash and a roomy shopping bag.
(
06-873 8033; www.splashplanet.co.nz; Grove Rd,
Hastings; adult/child $26/18; 10am-5.30pm Nov-Feb) A massive, watery
wonderland with myriad pools, slides and aquatic distractions.
Airplay Paragliding PARAGLIDING
(
06-845 1977; www.airplay.co.nz; 1-day courses
$220) Te Mata Peak is a paragliding hot spot, with
updraughts aplenty. Airplay offers full-day beginners’ courses if
you’re keen to take the drop.
Tours
See Click here for two-wheeled tours around the area.
Long Island Guides GUIDED TOUR
(
06-874 7877; www.longislandtoursnz.com; half-day from
$180) Customised tours across a wide range of interests
including Maori culture, bush walks, kayaking, horse riding and,
inevitably, food and wine.
(
0800 004 237, 06-845 3703;
www.prinsyexperience.co.nz;
half-/full-day tours from $60/85) Affable half- or full-day
wine jaunts, with layman’s-lingo explanations at four or five
wineries.
(
021 057 0935; www.waimaramaori.com; 2-4hr tours from
$70) Maori-run tours of Te Mata Peak, with plenty of
cultural insights en route.
(
0800 100 489; www.grapeescape.net.nz; tours from
$70) Half-day winery tours, visiting four or five cellar
doors, or six hours with a lunch stop ($90). Ask about beer tours
if you’re more of an ale hound.
Festivals & Events
Hastings Blossom Festival CULTURE
(www.blossomfestival.co.nz) The Hastings Blossom Festival is a petalled spring fling, infamous for its 12-person ‘riot’ in 1960. The flowery insubordination happens in the second half of September: parades, arts, crafts and visiting artists.
Sleeping
Hastings Top 10 Holiday Park HOLIDAY PARK $
OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP(
06-878 6692; www.hastingstop10.co.nz; 610 Windsor
Ave, Hastings; sites from $44, units $78-160, apt $300;
) Putting the ‘park’ back into
holiday park, within its leafy confines are sycamore hedges, a
topiary ‘welcome’ sign, stream, ducks and accessible serenity. The
pool and spa complex satisfies young and old. New tennis court.
(
06-876 6997, 027 298 8910;
www.ecolodge-pakowhai.co.nz; 1000
Pakowhai Rd; sites/dm/tw $20/25/60, d with/without bathroom
$75/60; ) 
The same family have tilled
this land since 1885, but the attitude here is very
forward-thinking. The talkative owner cuts carbon with solar
panels, rainwater-collection systems, worm farms,
double-glazing…and is expert at finding farm work for travellers.
Accommodation comprises neat new cabins or dorms in an old
farmhouse. Good weekly rates; free wi-fi and laundry.
(
06-878 4363; www.rottenapple.co.nz; 114 Heretaunga St
E, Hastings; dm/s/d $26/50/70;
) The central city, 1st-floor
option and a fairly fruity affair, with orchard workers settled in
paying weekly rates. There’s a bit of deck, a decent kitchen and
sociable vibes, and staff can help you find work (sorting the
rotten apples from the good ones).
(
06-878 5393; www.hastingsbackpackers.co.nz; 109 Davis
St, Hastings; dm/tw/d $20/50/60;
) A messy-but-homey backpackers
in a suburban house, a 10-minute walk to town. A posse of tanned,
wiry agricultural workers ensures a sociable atmosphere in the
fairly close communal confines. Pool table in the shed.
Clive Colonial Cottages
RENTAL HOUSE $$
(
06-870 1018; www.clivecolonialcottages.co.nz; 198
School Rd, Clive; d from $135; ) A two-minute walk to the beach and almost
equidistant from Hastings, Napier and Havelock, these three
tasteful kitchen cottages encircle a courtyard garden on a 2-acre
spread. Communal areas include barbecue, giant chess set and
snooker room. Bikes on site; trail on doorstep.
Havelock North Motor Lodge MOTEL $$
OFFLINE MAP(
06-877 8627; www.havelocknorthmotorlodge.co.nz; 7
Havelock Rd, Havelock North; units $135-195;
) Smack-bang in the middle of
Havelock North, this modern motel is a cut above the rest. Tidy
one- and two-bedroom units feature spa baths, nice art and
kitchenettes. Is the new Mexican joint across the street open
yet?
(
06-875 1977; www.millarroad.co.nz; 83 Millar Rd,
Hastings; villas/houses from $400/650; ) Set in the Tuki
Tuki Hills with vineyard and bay views, Millar Road is
architecturally heaven-sent. Two plush villas (each sleep four) and
a superstylish house (sleeps eight) are filled with NZ-made
furniture and local artworks. Explore the 20-hectare grounds or
look cool by the pool.
Mangapapa Petit Hotel BOUTIQUE HOTEL $$$
OFFLINE MAP(
06-878 3234; www.mangapapa.co.nz; 466 Napier Rd,
Havelock North; d incl breakfast $450-1500; ) A five-minute drive from Hastings, this
heritage home (1885), surrounded by leafy gardens, a tennis court,
swimming pool and short golf course, has been sympathetically
adapted into a boutique hotel. Twelve suites offer period-style
luxury; a restaurant and day spa up the indulgence stakes. ‘Good
afternoon Sir’, says the dapper doorman.
Eating
(www.tastecornucopia.co.nz; 219
Heretaunga St E, Hastings; meals $7-22;
7.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 6.30pm-late
Fri; 
) An award-winning,
high-ceilinged organic cafe in central Hastings, serving filling
‘abundant’ breakfasts, organic coffee, smoked-fish pies, curries,
vegtarian lasagne and amazing ‘marshmallows’ that look like giant
blobs of extruded toothpaste. Super NZ wine list, too. Tasty
dinners Friday nights.
(19 Middle Rd,
Havelock North; mains $10-19; 7.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat & Sun)
On Middle Rd in the middle of Havelock, this enduringly popular
cafe is far from middling, serving up house-roasted organic coffee,
handsome counter food and reasonable brunch. Blaring Freddie
Mercury and blueberry pancakes – a winning combo.
(www.rushmunro.co.nz; 704 Heretaunga St
W, Hastings; ice cream $3-8; 11am-6pm Mon-Fri, to 7pm Sat & Sun, reduced
winter hours) Rush Munro’s is a Hastings icon, serving
locally made ice cream since 1926. Try the maple walnut.
(www.operakitchen.co.nz; 312 Eastbourne
St E, Hastings; mains $9-25; 7.30am-4pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat & Sun;
) Set your rudder right
with some whiskey porridge with cream and giant oats at this mod,
stylish cafe abutting Hawke’s Bay Opera House. For a more practical
start to the day, the farmers breakfast is also a winner. Heavenly
baked goods, great coffee and snappy staff. Eat in, or outside in
the suntrap courtyard.
(
06-877 6031; www.deliciosa.co.nz; 21 Napier Rd,
Havelock North; tapas $8-19; 4pm-late Mon & Tue, 11am-late Wed-Sat)
Great things come in small packages at this rosy little tapas bar,
run by a displaced Seattleite. The kitchen delivers sassy, locally
sourced edibles like pork belly with pomegranate jus and
salt-and-pepper squid with orange and parsley, while the wine list
roams from Spain to Italy and back. Terrific beer list, too.
(
06-877 8993; www.pipicafe.co.nz; 16 Joll Rd, Havelock
North; mains $16-28; 4-10pm Tue-Sun) Shockingly pink with candy
stripes and mismatched furniture, Pipi cheekily thumbs its nose at
small-town conventionality. The food focus is on simple pasta
dishes and Roman-style thin-crusted pizza. Pipi
Bar is across the street if you’re waiting for a table, and
Pipi Truck randomly turns up around the
Bay, taking the food to the streets (check Facebook for
locations).
(
06-877 5149; www.divabar.co.nz; 10 Napier Rd,
Havelock North; mains lunch $16-20, dinner $22-35;
11.30am-2.30pm Tue-Fri, 5.30pm-late
Tue-Sat) A sexy fusion of orange, black and chocolately
timber, Diva offers good-value lunches (from paua bugers to
steaks) and bistro-style dinners featuring fresh seafood and
seasonal specialities. Eat in the flashy dining room, at the groovy
bar (small plates $5 to $17) or chatty pavement tables.
(
06-872 7440; www.vidal.co.nz; 913 St Aubyn St E,
Hastings; mains lunch $25-29, dinner $28-36;
11.30am-3pm & 6pm-late)
There’s nothing suburban about this winery restaurant on the
backstreets of Hastings. The warm, wood-lined dining room is a
worthy setting for such elegant food: order the annual signature
dish (2013 market fish, 2014 venison), sip some syrah and feel your
holiday come to fruition.
Drinking
(www.loadingramp.co.nz; 8 Treachers Lane,
Havelock North; 3pm-late Tue-Sat) This lofty timber space
pulls a mixed crowd of young ’uns and seasoned drinkers, here to
watch the All Blacks on the big screen, sip Monteith’s or chew
tapas (or all three). Also offers big pubby meals (mains $22 to
$30).
(www.thefilterroom.co.nz; Awatoto Rd,
Meeanee; 10am-5pm Sun-Thu, to 7pm Fri & Sat)
Surrounded by orchards, these folks proffer impressive craft beers
and ciders, brewed on site, plus tasting trays and belly-filling
food.
(www.roseandshamrock.co.nz; cnr Napier Rd
& Porter Dr, Havelock North; 10.30am-late) A carpeted, dark-wood,
Brit-style boozer complete with 27 globe-trotting beers on tap (
oooh, Coopers Sparkling Ale from South Australia!) and
hearty pub grub (mains $14 to $26).
HAWKE’S BAY WINERIES
Once upon a time, this district was most famous for its orchards. Today it’s vines that have top billing, with Hawke’s Bay now NZ’s second-largest wine-producing region. Expect excellent Bordeaux-style reds, syrah and chardonnay. Pick up the Hawke’s Bay Winery Guide map from the i-SITE, or download it from www.winehawkesbay.co.nz. A few of our faves:
Black Barn Vineyards
OFFLINE MAP ( 06-877 7985; www.blackbarn.com; Black Barn Rd,
Havelock North; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat & Sun)
Hip, inventive winery with a bistro, gallery, Saturday farmers
market (one of NZ’s first) and an amphitheatre for concerts and
movie screenings. Try the flagship chardonnay.
Crab Farm Winery
OFFLINE MAP ( 06-836 6678; www.crabfarmwinery.co.nz; 511 Main North
Rd, Bay View; 10am-5pm daily, 6pm-late Fri) Decent,
reasonably priced wines and a great cafe with regular live
troubadors and relaxed, rustic vibes. A good stop for lunch or a
glass of rosé (or both).
Mission EstateOFFLINE
MAP (
06-845 9354; www.missionestate.co.nz; 198 Church Rd,
Taradale; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 10am-4.30pm Sun) NZ’s
oldest winery (1851!). Follow the looong tree-lined drive
up to the restaurant and cellar door, inside a magnificently
restored seminary.
Te Mata Estate
OFFLINE MAP
(www.temata.co.nz; 349 Te Mata Rd,
Havelock North; 8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat)
The legendary Coleraine red
at this unpretentious, old-school, family-run winery is worth the
trip alone.
Craggy Range
OFFLINE MAP ( 06-873 0141; www.craggyrange.com; 253 Waimarama Rd,
Havelock North; 10am-6pm, closed Mon & Tue Apr-Oct)
Inside a cathedral-like ‘wine barrel’, the restaurant here, called
Terroir, is one of the region’s most consistent fine-dining
experiences. Photogenic views of craggy Te Mata Peak.
Shopping
The Hastings area appears to exist largely for the satisfaction of our appetites, with a plethora of boutique food producers.
OFFLINE MAP(www.strawberrypatch.co.nz; 76 Havelock
Rd, Havelock North; 9am-5.30pm) Pick your own berries in season
(late November through summer), or visit year-round for fresh
produce, picnic supplies, coffee and real fruit ice cream ($4).
(www.aratakihoneyhb.co.nz; 66 Arataki Rd,
Havelock North; 9am-5pm) Stock up on buzzy by-products
for your toast or your skin at family-run Arataki. Hands-on
displays outline the whole sticky cycle from flower to jar. Free
tastings.
(www.telegraphhill.co.nz; 1279 Howard St,
Hastings; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, plus 10am-3pm Sat Oct-Mar)
A passionate producer of olives, oils and sundry
Mediterranean-inspired gourmet treats. Four-person picnic baskets
($40) available for on-site indulgence.
Silky Oak Chocolate Company FOOD
OFFLINE MAP(www.silkyoakchocs.co.nz; 1131 Links Rd,
Napier; 9am-5pm Mon-Thu, 9am-4pm Fri, 10am-4pm Sat &
Sun) Watch the chocolatiers at work while deliberating over
mouthwatering truffles and chocolate rugby balls. The museum
(adult/child $8/5) offers a cocoa-drenched history and the odd
ancient Mayan artefact. There’s a cafe here too.
Information
Hastings i-SITE
( 06-873 0080; www.visithastings.co.nz; Westermans
Bldg, cnr Russell St & Heretaunga St E;
9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat, 10am-2pm
Sun; ) Internet access, free maps, trail
brochures and bookings.
Havelock North
i-SITE (
06-877 9600; www.havelocknorthnz.com; cnr Te Aute
& Middle Rds, Havelock North; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, to 4pm Sat, to 3pm Sun;
) Local info in a
cute little booth.
Hawke’s Bay
Hospital (
06-878 8109; www.hawkesbay.health.nz; Omahu
Rd; 24hr)
Police Station
( 06-873 0500; www.police.govt.nz; 205 Railway
Rd; 24hr)
Post Office
(www.nzpost.co.nz; 100 Market St;
8.30am-5pm Mon-Fri,
9am-noon Sat)
Getting There & Away
Napier’s Hawke’s Bay Airport (Click
here) is a 20-minute drive away. Air New Zealand ( 06-873 2200; www.airnewzealand.co.nz; 117 Heretaunga
St W; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) has an office in central
Hastings.
Hastings’ InterCity Bus Stop is on Russell St. Book InterCity and Naked Bus buses online or at the i-SITE.
Getting Around
goBay
( 06-878 9250; www.hbrc.govt.nz) ocal buses
(with bike racks) run between Hastings, Havelock North and Napier.
Daily Hastings to Napier buses (adult/child $5.20/2.80) take 30
minutes (express) or 55 minutes (all stops). Hastings to Havelock
North buses run Monday to Saturday (adult/child $3.40/1.80, 35
minutes). Buses depart Hastings’ Civic Square Bus Stop .
Hastings Taxis ( 06-878 5055) is the local cab service.
Cape Kidnappers
From mid-September to late April, Cape Kidnappers (named when local Maori tried to kidnap Cook’s Tahitian servant boy) erupts with squawking gannets. These big birds usually nest on remote islands but here they settle for the mainland, completely unfazed by human spectators.
The birds nest as soon as they arrive, and eggs take about six weeks to hatch, with chicks arriving in early November. In March the gannets start their migration; by May they’re gone.
Early November to late February is the best time to visit. Take a tour or the walkway to the colony: it’s about five hours return from the Clifton Reserve car park ($1) at the Clifton Motor Camp. En route are interesting cliff formations, rock pools, a sheltered picnic spot, and the gaggling gannets themselves. The walk is tide dependent: leave no earlier than three hours after high tide; start back no later than 1½ hours after low tide.
No regular buses go to Clifton, but the tour operators will transport you for an additional fee, or you could bike.
Tours
Gannet Beach Adventures ECOTOUR
OFFLINE MAP(
06-8750 898, 0800 426 638;
www.gannets.com; 475 Clifton Rd,
Clifton; adult/child $42/24) Ride along the beach on a
tractor-pulled trailer before wandering out on the Cape for 90
minutes. A good-fun, guided return trip over four hours, departing
Clifton Reserve.
(
06-875 0888, 0800 427 232;
www.gannetsafaris.co.nz; 396 Clifton Rd,
Te Awanga; adult/child $60/30) Overland 4WD trips across
farmland into the gannet colony. Three-hour tours depart at 9.30am
and 1.30pm. Pick-ups from Napier and Hastings cost extra.
Central Hawke’s Bay
Grassy farmland
stretches south from Hastings, dotted with the grand homesteads of
Victorian pastoralists. It’s an untouristed area (aka ‘Lamb
Country’), rich in history and deserted beaches. Waipukurau (aka ‘Wai-puk’), the main town, isn’t
exactly thrilling but it’s worth calling in to the extremely
helpful
Central Hawke’s Bay Information Centre
( 06-858 6488; www.lambcountry.co.nz; Railway
Esplanade; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat) in the
old railway station.
Sights & Activities
There are no fewer than six windswept beaches along the coast here: Kairakau, Mangakuri, Pourerere, Aramoana, Blackhead and Porangahau. The first five are good for swimming, and between the lot they offer a range of sandy, salty activities including surfing, fishing and driftwoody, rock-pooly adventures. Between Aramoana and Blackhead Beach lies the DOC-managed Te Angiangi Marine Reserve – bring your snorkel.
It’s a nondescript hill in the middle of nowhere, but the place with the world’s longest name is good for a photo op. Believe it or not, Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu is the abbreviated form of ‘The Brow of a Hill Where Tamatea, the Man with the Big Knees, Who Slid, Climbed, and Swallowed Mountains, Known as Land Eater, Played his Flute to his Brother’. To get there, fuel-up in Waipukurau and drive 40km to the Mangaorapa junction on route 52. Turn left and go 4km towards Porangahau. At the intersection with the signposts, turn right and continue 4.3km to the sign.
Ongaonga, a historic village 16km west of Waipawa, has interesting Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Pick up a pamphlet for a self-guided walking tour from the info centre in Waipukurau.
The Central Hawke’s Bay Settlers Museum (www.chbsettlersmuseum.co.nz; 23 High St,
Waipawa; adult/child $2/free; 10am-4pm) in Waipawa has pioneer artefacts, informative ‘homestead’
displays and a good specimen of a river waka (canoe).
Sleeping
Lochlea
Backpacker
Farmstay FARMSTAY, HOSTEL $
(
06-855 4816; www.bbh.co.nz; 344 Lake Rd, Wanstead;
dm/s/d/f from $26/37/56/137; ) Far removed from urban stress, this
working sheep and cattle farm has breezy stands of trees on grazing
slopes. Rooms are simple but the communal lounge is cosy. There’s a
pool, a tennis court and endless paddocks in which to act sheepish.
Free pick-ups from Waipukurau Monday to Friday.
Gwavas Garden Homestead B&B $$
(
06-856 5810; www.gwavasgarden.co.nz; 5740 SH50,
Tikokino; d incl breakfast $160-180; ) Six kilometres from Tikokino, this grand
1890 Cornish homestead has enjoyed a faithful room-by-room
renovation with floral wallpaper, period furnishings, portraits
eyeballing you from the walls and heavy linens. Have breakfast on
the veranda before a spot of lawn tennis or a wander through the
bird-biased garden.
Eating
(www.papermulberrycafe.co.nz; SH2,
Pukehou; meals $8-17; 7am-4pm Wed-Mon) Halfway between Waipukurau
and Hastings, this retro cafe-gallery in a 100-year-old,
aquamarine-coloured church serves excellent coffee, smoothies and
home-spun food (unbeatable fudge). Well worth a stop for a chomp
and a browse.
(
06-857 8911; 12 High St,
Waipawa; mains $10-20; 9am-4pm Wed-Sun) A little bit of upmarket
vintage on the functional high street, this jade-coloured cafe
plates up lip-smacking salads as well as corn fritters, pastas,
nachos and other faves. Drop-dead-gorgeous baking (try the coconut
and lime cake).
Getting There & Away
InterCity and Naked Bus pass through Waipawa and Waipukurau on their Wellington–Napier routes.
Kaweka &
Ruahine Ranges
The remote Kaweka and Ruahine ranges separate Hawke’s Bay from the Central Plateau. These forested wildernesses offer some of the North Island’s best tramping. See the DOC pamphlets Kaweka Forest Park & Puketitiri Reserves and Eastern Ruahine Forest Park for details of tracks and huts (both available online at www.doc.govt.nz).
An ancient 136km Maori track, now know as the Gentle Annie Road, runs inland from Omahu near Hastings to Taihape, via Otamauri and Kuripapango (where there’s a basic but charming DOC campsite, adult/child $6/3). This isolated route takes around three hours (or a couple of days by bike).
Kaweka J, the highest point of the range (1724m), can be reached by a three-to-five-hour tramp from the end of Kaweka Rd; from Napier take Puketitiri Rd then Whittle Rd. The drive is worthwhile in itself; it’s partly unsealed and takes three hours return.
Enjoy a soak in natural hot pools before or after the three-hour walk on Te Puia Track, which follows the picturesque Mohaka River. From Napier, take Puketitiri Rd, then Pakaututu Rd, then Makahu Rd to the road-end Mangatutu Hot Pools (www.doc.govt.nz) . Parts of the road can be dicey – bring a 4WD if you’ve got one.
The Mokaha can be rafted with Mohaka Rafting (
06-839 1808; www.mohakarafting.com; from $95)
.