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HOME AT FIRST's
New
Zealand
HAWKE'S BAY
REGION |
THE NORTH ISLAND'S
PRINCIPAL WINE REGION IS KNOWN WORLDWIDE FOR
QUALITY WINES. VISITORS
DISCOVER HAWKE'S BAY'S EXCELLENT BEACHES,
A REBORN ART DECO CITY, AND
WORLD-CLASS GOLF, TOO.
PHOTO CREDIT: VENTURE HAWKE'S BAY. |
Hawke's Bay's Wine Trail
Leads to More than Vineyards.
Wine may be the big
attraction here in Hawke's Bay, but this sunny,
prosperous corner of the North Island profits from multiple
personalities.
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Attractions in
the Hawke's Bay Region:
Shaped by its geography, geology, and climate, Hawke's Bay is a region
distinct and separate from neighboring regions to the north, west, and
south. Walled in by rugged, if not supremely high, mountains, Hawke's
Bay evolved in relative isolation from the Rotorua and Taupo region to
the west, Gisborne and the Eastland region to the north, and the
Wairarapa region and Wellington to the south. |
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HAWKE'S BAY WINERIES:
The relatively dry, warm, coastal climate of Hawke's Bay with plentiful
water for irrigation provided by its border mountains is ideal for
agriculture, and especially for the production of grapes and other
fruit. Hawke's Bay has become the
principal wine region of the North
Island, producing export quality wines in sufficient quantities to
become recognized internationally as a major white wine (Chardonnay,
Sauvignon Blanc) exporter. In recent years the region has expanded into
red wine production with some international success. With more than 70
wineries Hawke's Bay's Wine Trail is both |

Te Mata Winery produces
some of the
finest
wines of the Hawke's Bay region
from
its winery southeast of Hastings.
Photo
credit - 'Venture Hawke's Bay' |
compact and dense, making it easy to visit
several wineries on a day tour of
the region. The annual Harvest Hawke's Bay food and wine festival draws thousands to
wineries-turned-festival venues throughout the region each February.
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Napier celebrates its
Art Deco
architectural heritage with an
extravagant Art Deco
Weekend
festival each February.
Photo
credit "Venture Hawke's Bay" |
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TWIN CITIES WITH DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES:
The Hawke's Bay region has two principal population centers, Napier and
Hastings, located just twelve miles apart in the alluvial plain near the
coast at Hawke Bay. Napier — with about 58,000 residents slightly
smaller than its twin — is flashy and gregarious, offering a seafront with
miles of sandy beaches, and a lively cultural calendar that welcomes
visitors. After major earthquake leveled Napier in 1931, the city
rebuilt itself in the dominant, dressy Art Deco style of the period. The
popular, showy architectural style has been carefully maintained
and today acts as living set for Napier's Art Deco |
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Weekend each February. Neighboring |
Hastings
is inland from Napier and surrounded by agriculture. Lacking the lively seafront
and the stylish Art Deco style of Napier, Hastings is the lesser visited of the twin
cities. However, it is the larger of the two (about 65,000 residents) and more important
as a commercial and governmental center. Hastings has the region's biggest
amusement park, a fun day out for families, and hosts two important annual events: the
Hawke's Bay Show — the region's principal country fair — each October, and the
Horse of the Year Show — New Zealand's most important equestrian meet — each March.
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CAPE KIDNAPPERS:
Named for the failed
abduction of a Tahitian servant of Captain Cook's
Endeavour voyage in 1769 by local Maori, and once principally
known only for its great mainland colony of gannet seabirds, Cape
Kidnappers has in recent years become a destination for international
golfers. Spectacular cliff and headland formations of the narrow
peninsular extend into the South Pacific, making a unique, dramatic
location for a golf |

The dramatic landscape
of Cape Kidnappers
headland
includes 600' high cliffs and
sharks' teeth "haystacks". |
course. The Tom Doak-designed (2004)
Cape
Kidnappers Golf Course quickly gained an
international reputation
and is currently New Zealand's top-ranked course, rated #6 in the world
(outside of the USA) by
golfdigest.com. |
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Lodgings: Top quality bed and breakfast lodgings in
and near Napier close to all central city attractions, beaches, and
convenient for hopping on and off the Hawke's Bay Wine Trail.
Home At First's Hawke's Bay
region lodgings provide creature
comforts with convenient access to
Napier, Hastings, beaches, and the
Hawke's Bay Wine Trail.
Photo
credit - 'Venture Hawke's Bay' |
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Getting around
Hawke's Bay: Use of a rental car is essential here. Expect
congested traffic on city streets only. State Highway 50/50A is
the fast Napier-Hastings Motorway connecting the twin cities' centers.
State Highway 2 also connects Hastings and Napier, but takes a slower
route that follows the coast. Away from Napier and Hastings,
roads throughout Hawke's Bay are usually
lightly traveled.
Getting lost on the back
roads of Hawke's Bay
guarantees the serendipity of discovering
an off-the-beaten-track winery with
some superb bottles for sale.
Photo
credit "Venture Hawke's Bay" |
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Getting to/from
Hawke's Bay:
Home At First guests arrive in
Hawke's Bay by
rental car, normally coming east from the
Rotorua/Taupo
region in 2-4 hours. Most depart Hawke's Bay southwest for
Wellington in
about 5-7 scenic hours via the impressive Manawatu Gorge.
Once you are in Hawke's
Bay, all
roads lead to quality food and wine.
Photo
credit: "Venture Hawke's Bay" |
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ASK TO SPEAK WITH A HOME AT FIRST "NEW
ZEALAND SPECIALIST"
TRAVEL CONSULTANT CERTIFIED BY THE NEW ZEALAND TOURISM
BOARD.
—HOME AT FIRST—
AFFORDABLE DREAM
TRAVEL WITH ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME. |
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