The Hawke’s Bay Wine Region, New Zealand

Instead of the hustle and bustle of a city we opted for the rural quiet of Hastings in the Hawke’s Bay Wine Region.  It’s our first time exploring this part of New Zealand and we ended up on a charming small farm tucked between sprawling apple orchards and sun-drenched wineries.  It’s the perfect place, yet only a stones throw from the conveniences of a 50,000 person town.  Within 15 minutes of our house there is a world class aquatic center with a 50 meter swimming pool, a few gyms and good running trails for Blair.  The ocean is less than 30 min away and the hiking trails of Te Mata Peak are 20 min away, its exactly what we were looking for.

Hastings is a vibrant hub in the Hawke’s Bay region, often grouped with it’s twin city Napier.  This area is known as the ‘Fruit Bowl of New Zealand’ being one of the sunniest spots in the country, which develops high sugar content in fruit.  Specifically, apples are grown here!  60% of New Zealand’s apple exports are grown around here, in addition to peaches, pears, plums, apricots, cherries, berries, squash and corn.  And let’s not forget about grapes, this area is renowned for their vineyards, particularly the Gimblett Gravels district which is famous for its unique stony soil that produces full-bodied red wines.  Oh my, we are in heaven here 💕

Just a short scenic drive from Hastings lies the coastal town of Napier, known as the art deco capital of the world.  In 1931, a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake leveled the region, permanently altering the landscape.  In the aftermath, the city was rebuilt almost entirely in the height of 1930s fashion.  The Hawke’s Bay museum has an excellent exhibition about the 1931 earthquake detailing how the city was permanently changed.  They have some rare grainy film footage from after the quake and recent interviews with survivors who were young children when the earth shook.  It’s a moving exhibition and worth visiting if you are in Napier.  Walking through the CBD is a surreal experience, the pastel facades and geometric motifs feels like you are on a 1930s movie set.  Every February the city transforms during the Art Deco Festival.  Locals and visitors alike dress in vintage 1920’s and 30’s attire, vintage cars fill the streets and jazz music plays in the squares.  Its rare to see a collection of vintage architecture so well preserved and celebrated.  (click on any photo to enlarge)

 

Our first trip into Napier was to meet with fellow nomads, and fellow Calgarians, Howard and Whitney of D2 Detours.  This is our 4th meetup in as many years with our travels overlapping for one day here in Napier.  Together we walked the art deco route around the CBD and along the beachfront boardwalk before driving to a vineyard where we enjoyed lunch in the sunshine.  As fellow nomads, we have much to talk about and information to share from our respective travels.

While the legendary vines of Hawke’s Bay was a major reason for our visit, we quickly discovered that this region has a way of filling your days with more than just a glass of red—though we certainly made sure to save room for the essentials.  Between the trails, the history, and the quiet farm life, our “grand tour” of the wineries was more of a curated selection. Here is the short list of the spots that managed to lure us in:

• Trinity Hills Winery is located in the renowned Gimblett Gravels district and is one of the pioneering wineries of the region.  Established in 1993 they have built an international reputation for producing powerful yet elegant wines that reflec the unique stony terroir of the vineyard sites.  While they produce a wide range of wines, they are particularly famous for their Syrah, Chardonnay and Bordeaux-style blends.  We tried two of their tastings, first was the Syrah Story flight including their signature wine ‘Homage”.  It was delicious, as it should be for NZD $150 per bottle.  Our second flight was the Red Blend including the ‘Prison Block’ wine which sells for NZD $120 per bottle.  Both flights were fabulous and we bought two bottles of Gimblett Gravels ‘The Gimblett” Red Blend costing NZD $39.99 per bottle.  Over our normal wine budget but this was a spectacular wine for the price, confirmed by a senior staff member who came out to talk to us and gave us samples of their two ports, one of them costing NZD $250 per bottle…definitely out of our budget!!

• De Le Terre Winery is a boutique, family-run estate established in 2005 and known for being the only earth-brick winery in Hawke’s Bay, referring to the construction of the cellar door and the winery’s focus on hand-crafted wines.  They are noted for their ‘quirky’ mix of less common varieties of grapes created by the owner, Tony Prichard, who hosted our tasting.  The wines were not our favorites and in our opinion, expensive, so we did not purchase anything.

• Unison Vineyard was established in 1993 by a visionary German couple and this family-owned gem feels more like a European estate than a New Zealand winery.  They are well-regarded for their high-density European-style plantings, which focus on low-yield, hand-crafted production to create concentrated and elegant wines.  During our tasting we learned that once a vine produces 15 bunches of grapes, every additional sprout is clipped away.  This ensures the vine pours all its energy and soul into those few remaining clusters, resulting in wines that are elegant and intense.  Unison is most famous for their Syrah and Bordeaux-style blends.  After sampling 6 distinct wines, two clear winners emerged – Rocky Red and Excalibur.  The Excalibur was a ‘treat ourselves’ splurge at NZD $45 a bottle, but it was a spectacular wine and a perfect tribute to a winery that chooses perfection over production.

• Elephant Hill Winery is a contemporary winery and restaurant perched right on the coast of Hawke’s Bay.  While our lunch reservation meant we didn’t sit for a formal tasting, the staff were more than happy to pour a few ‘preview’ sips at our table, helping us to find the perfect wine for our meal.  The location is stunning with expansive views of the Pacific Ocean and the dramatic cliffs of Cape Kidnappers, a perfect backdrop for a leisurely Sunday afternoon lunch.  We did not end up purchasing any wines.

Towards the end of our stay we discovered Ocean Beach, a 25 minute drive from our cottage.  It is a stunning, undeveloped stretch of coastline devoid of shops or cafes.  Known to the local Māori community as Waipuka, it is a favorite spot for folks looking to escape the busier city beaches looking for powerful surf and rugged natural beauty.  Trekking north from the parking lot for 8 km takes you to Whakapau Bluff and heading south for approx 7.5 km will lead you to Waimārama Beach.  Sadly we did not discover this beach until late in our stay so we only made it here twice.

Te Mata Peak is a powerful geological landmark rising 399 meters above the Heretaunga Plains offering some of the most spectacular 360-degree views in New Zealand.  The peak began to form 10 to 20 million years ago when pressure from the collision of the Pacific and Australian plates pushed the ancient seabed upward.  This folded and tilted the earth’s crust to create the limestone peak seen today.  Over millions of years, wind and rain have weathered the softer rock leaving the dramatic, jagged limestone cliffs and exposing shells and marine organisms from the ocean floor.  The surrounding park features over 98 hectares of parkland with well-maintained hiking and cycling tracks for all fitness levels.  We walked the moderately rated Karaka Wander (Yellow Trail) which passes through the majestic Te Hau Valley Redwoods planted in 1927, and Karaka Grove, a lone grove of 200 year old Karaka trees.  The trail is listed as 4 km long but between a missing trail marker and backtracking we walked 5.8 km 😂  The yellow trail does not go all the way to the peak so we drove up there after we were finished for the best panoramic views of the Hawke’s Bay region and the Pacific Ocean.  Good choice because that last bit was really steep!!

Who doesn’t love a good farmers market!!  The Hasting’s Farmers Market happens every Sunday from 8:30am until noon.  We enjoyed wandering around the various stalls purchasing some corn, carrots, blueberries, strawberries and a couple of loaves of Sourdough bread.

We spent a fair bit of time relaxing at home and adding to our enjoyment of this cottage were the horses out back.  We had Lightening, a hilariously funny miniature horse in the next paddock, and next to him a gorgeous retired racehorse.  We had fun feeding them carrots and apples and the large racehorse was unbelievably gentle taking food from our hand.  Beyond the horses the sheep would wander in and out and then there were the apple orchards where we could help ourselves.  We definitely ate a lot of apples over the past couple of weeks!

We were really sad to be leaving this gorgeous spot but we we’re off to explore the regions north of Auckland where we have not been before.  First stop, Whangaparaoa…..