Napier is a coastal city set in the renowned Hawke’s Bay wine-producing region. It is an eclectic town with art deco architecture created after it was rebuilt from the 1931 earthquake. We found our way up the Bluff Hill to The Verandah, an Edwardian B&B with fabulous views of the sea. It is easy to find a restaurant with your favourite foods in town but we learned to book early as it is not so easy to find a seat.
Wineries abound in the area and most are in nearby Hastings which is a 10 to 15 minute drive through the countryside. Some names you will recognize and some you won’t. We ventured into the smaller vineyards to sample wines that do not appear at home. What we found is that their best doesn’t reach our shores. Too bad.
At the north end of Hawkes Bay is Gisborne which was settled over 700 years ago. Kaiti Beach is the place where Captain James Cook made his first landing in New Zealand. It sports some beautiful beaches which are popular for swimming and surfing as well as some impressive limestone cliffs.
The harbour is active and we took full advantage of that with a dinner feast of freshly caught fish expertly prepared at the Wharf Restaurant located, where else, on the wharf.
If you want to explore beaches you can use both Napier and Gisborne as a base to roam the coastline. Why not grab a fish and chip lunch and a ‘tinny’ of beer somewhere along the way then pull up some driftwood and have a beach lunch. Or better yet, charter a fishing boat and catch your own.