Hawke's Bay

Discover unique Mauri influenced Art Deco Architecture in Napier and Hastings during your holiday to Hawke's Bay. Napier is also a great resting point and an opportunity to discover some of the many vineyards that are dotted along the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail.

A stable climate, bike-friendly terrain and modest average wind speed make holidays in Hawke's Bay a great destination for cyclists. Hawke’s Bay caters for all cyclists from the serious and experienced to casual leisure riders who just want to have some fun. The extensive network of over 70 kilometres of high quality off-road recreational walkways and cycleways is currently being extended with the addition of two official New Zealand Cycle Trails that will provide a further 65 kilometres of track.

Hawke's Bay is located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island and is accessible by driving, flying and cruise ship so getting here is nice and easy. Air New Zealand flies to Hawke’s Bay daily from Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch and Jetstar operate daily flights from Auckland

Hawke's Bay's long, hot summers and cool winters offer the best weather for growing grapes.

The climate is dry and temperate. Hawke's Bay is renowned for its horticulture with large orchards and vineyards on the plains. In the hilly parts of the region sheep and cattle farming predominates, with forestry blocks in the roughest areas. Mid-November through mid-April is the best time in central and eastern North Island. The weather is balmy and everything is open. This is also the season for vineyard festivals, so keep an eye on the local calendars. Try to avoid the school holidays (from mid-December to late January), when the roads and hotels get clogged with Kiwi holidaymakers. To see the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers, you need to go between October and March, when the birds are nesting and raising their young. Hawke's Bay and Gisborne can be remarkably mild in winter, but Rotorua and Taupo can get quite cold.