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Boutique hotels in Hawkes Bay

Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Hawkes Bay Overview

New Zealand

Coastline
Forests, fertile plains and wild coasts
Coast Life
Golfers, gourmands and wine toasts

If New Zealand is a destination to suit everyone, then Hawkes Bay is that again, just manipulated into an even more manageable package.

On the east coast of the North Island, it takes in the some of the country’s best wine-growing regions, amazing coastal scenery and art deco architecture, and a perfect Mediterranean-style microclimate. Set around the confusingly named Hawke Bay, the area includes the towns of Napier, Hastings and Havelock North, as well as natural splendours from native forest to colonies of gannets.

Highly Hawkes Bay

Historic Hawkes Bay
In 1931, an earthquake devastated the region’s two biggest cities, Napier and Hastings, and pushed earth that was below a lagoon to the surface adding an extra 40 square kilometres to Napier’s dimensions. Rebuilding – and lots of it – started straight away and continued for the next two years, leaving behind a legacy that points to the Art Deco dominance of that era.

Local knowledge

Taxis
You’ll want to book taxis in either of the two larger towns: Napier Taxis (+64 (0)6 845 7777) and Hastings Taxis (+64 (0)6 878 5055). The Hawkes Bay region is large though, so this isn’t really an efficient way of getting around, unless you’re simply travelling back to your hotel after dinner.

Tipping culture
Nowhere in New Zealand is it really expected, but adding up to 10 per cent on top of the bill if you’ve had great service is appreciated.

Siesta and Fiesta
Shops, banks and post offices operate to regular business hours. Wineries in the area sometimes open all week, although check before visiting, as others only operate weekends. It’s not really the right part of the world for night owls. You wouldn’t want to be seated any later than 9pm at a restaurant; on Friday or Saturday night you might find a bar open past midnight, but don’t count on it.

Packing tips
Callaway Golf outfit, sunnies, a designated driver (of the human variety, rather than the golf club kind).

Recommended reads
Witi Ihimaera’s The Whale Rider. The general consensus is that the book is even more moving than the movie. Hone Tuwhare is NZ’s most distinguished Maori poet writing in English. Try his collection Deep River Talk. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was born in Gisborne with Maori and European ancestry and went on to become one of the world’s great opera stars. Read David Fingleton’s Kiri Te Kanawa: A Biography to find out more about her incredible life.

Cuisine
If the buzz words in the food world right now are local and seasonal, Hawkes Bay is well ahead of the times. With fertile land and the perfect climate, just about everything is grown or gathered here: meat, seafood, cheese, honey, olive oil, a whole array of fruit and vegetables and even coffee. All of that is then utilised by top-class chefs to create menus that can blend Asian tastes with European traditions, or at local cafes for something a little more low-key. Guaranteed: whatever you eat will be the freshest it can be.

Regional specialities
Wine, wine and more wine. There are about 40 wineries in the region, producing a wide range of grapes, from merlot and pinot noir to chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.

Currency
New Zealand dollar (NZ$).

Time zone
GMT +12 hours.

Dialling codes
Country code for New Zealand: 64. Hawkes Bay: 06 (drop the zero if calling from an international number).

Do go/don't go
Summers (November to February) are bright, warm and mellow, perfect for Hawkes Bay’s outdoorsy way of life, although tasting wine doesn’t necessarily need warm weather and even the winters are temperate here.

Don't go home without

A photograph of yourself in front of Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, a hill that’s listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having one of the longest place names in the world. It’s a Maori moniker that roughly translates to ‘The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one’.