Hawkes Bay
Hawkes Bay is the oldest winemaking region in New Zealand – hence the derivative name Hawkes Bay Wine Country. This leading food and wine region has over 2200 hours of sunshine, making it a popular year-round holiday destination with an eclectic mix of visual and sensory experiences. The land sweeps through the east of the North Island with high forested mountains flattening out to the Heretaunga Plains. Enjoy fishing on the wide rivers, sample artisan gourmet foods and glorious beaches that stretch from Mahia Peninsula in the north to Porangahau in the south. With a population of 134 000 Hawkes Bay consists of a pleasing mix of tiny townships and two vibrant cities – Napier and Hastings. No doubt visitors and residents enjoy the generous offerings of vineyards and orchards, coastal hideaways and lush rolling farmland. And while the pace seems somewhat more relaxed than that of larger centres, thriving business activities underpin everything that takes place in the region.
WAIROA
Wairoa is a settlement within the Hawkes Bay, 118km northeast of Napier and 99km south of Gisborne is a pretty town situated on the banks of the broad Wairoa River, and is the southern gateway to Eastland. The Maori name means “Long water”. It is the gateway to the wilderness playgrounds of Te Urewera National Park and Lake Waikaremoana.
Activities to be enjoyed include lake kayaking, trout fishing, boating, day walks and a multi-day walking trip around magnificent Lake Waikaremoana, one of New Zealand’s 10 Great Walks. Inland from Mahia on the highway between Gisborne and Wairoa are the Morere Hot Springs set in a nikau-predominant native bush reserve with superb walking tracks.
Wairoa (district population of 10,000, town around 5200) provides an excellent, sheltered venue for waterskiing, yachting and rowing and features a relocated lighthouse set on the banks of the river.
Wairoa (district population of 10,000, town around 5200) provides an excellent, sheltered venue for waterskiing, yachting and rowing and features a relocated lighthouse set on the banks of the river.
