Hastings & Around
Rising dramatically from the Heretaunga Plains 16km south of Havelock North, Te Mata Peak (399m) is part of the 1-sq-km Te Mata Trust Park. The summit…
Must-see attractions in The East Coast
Napier
The Daily Telegraph is one of the stars of Napier's art-deco show, with superb zigzags, fountain shapes and a symmetrically patterned facade. If the front…
East Cape
If you haven't yet made it into a marae (meeting house), you’ll get a fair idea of what you’re missing out on by visiting the extraordinary St Mary’s…
Hawke's Bay
The excellent Wairoa Museum has an Italianate facade from its former life as a bank. Inside you'll find passionately curated, creative displays on local…
Gisborne
The Tairāwhiti Museum, with its fab gallery extension, focuses on East Coast Māori and colonial history. This is Gisborne’s arts hub, with rotating…
National Tobacco Company Building
Napier
Around the shore at Ahuriri, the National Tobacco Company Building (1932) is arguably the region’s deco masterpiece, combining art-deco forms with the…
Napier
The beating cultural heart of Napier is the smart-looking MTG – a gleaming-white museum-theatre-gallery space by the water. The MTG showcases live…
Hawke's Bay
The gaggling gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers – Te Kauwae-a-Māui to local Māori – is best visited between early November and late February, when the…
Hastings & Around
This hip, inventive winery has a bistro, a gallery, a popular summer Saturday morning farmers market (one of the first in NZ) and an amphitheatre for…
Gisborne
High on a hill overlooking Gisborne, Titirangi was once a pā (fortified village). Reach it via Queens Dr, or on the steep track from the revamped Puhi Kai…
Puhi Kai Iti Cook Landing Site
Gisborne
At the foot of Titirangi Reserve is the spot where Captain Cook first landed in NZ in 1769, and where nine Māori were killed by Cook's crew. In 2019, a $5…
Gisborne
An arboreal paradise, Eastwoodhill Arboretum is the largest collection of northern-hemisphere trees and shrubs in the southern hemisphere. It's…
Gisborne
Gisborne is already well endowed with statues, but this one commemorating the hugely popular Footrot Flats cartoons by Gisborne local, the late Murray…
Gisborne
This cultural centre commemorates the dedication and commitment of the famed 28th Māori Battalion of the New Zealand Army who fought bravely in the…
Hastings & Around
There's plenty of great vineyard dining around Hawke's Bay, but copper-clad Elephant Hill in beachy Te Awanga is something special. Huge picture windows…
Napier
Painted recently as part of a street-art festival, there are 50 colourful and thought-provoking murals scattered across central Napier and Ahuriri. Pick…
Gisborne
On the flanks of Titirangi Reserve is an impressive new sculpture of Te Maro, the first of nine Māori men killed by Cook's crew when they landed in…
National Aquarium of New Zealand
Napier
Inside this modern complex with its stingray-inspired roof are piranhas, terrapins, eels, kiwi, tuatara and a whole lotta fish. Snorkellers can swim with…
Gisborne
Sustainable, organic, biodynamic... Millton makes all the right moves, and makes them well. Bring a picnic and kick back surrounded by sturdy-trunked…
Hastings & Around
The city's neat little gallery presents contemporary NZ (including Māori) and international art in a bright, purpose-built space. Expect some wacky stuff…
Hastings & Around
New Zealand’s oldest winery was established in 1851. Follow the long tree-lined driveway up the hill to the restaurant (serving lunch and dinner; mains …
East Cape
In blink-and-you'll-miss-it Raukokore, this old Anglican church (1894) is a sweet beacon of belief on a lonely promontory. The simple white-and-grey…
Napier
The convoluted route to the top of Bluff Hill (102m) goes up and down like an elevator on speed (best to drive), but rewards intrepid mountaineers with…
Napier
Respectable, reasonably priced wines, and a rustic cafe with regular live troubadours. A good stop for lunch or a glass of rosé (preferably both), best…
Gisborne
Enjoy a picnic in bucolic splendour, accompanied by a flight of fine wines. Matawhero is home to a particularly buttery chardy, refined over almost 50…
Hastings & Around
The Westerman's Building is arguably the area's best example of the Spanish Mission style. The Hastings i-SITE is located here too.
Gisborne
Great chardonnay, gewürztraminer and cafe lunches at sassy restaurant The Vines (www.bushmerevines.co.nz; mains $25 to $34). Live music on summer Sundays…
Hastings & Around
Definitely one of Hawke's Bay's flashiest wineries – wonderful wines, excellent restaurant and accommodation.
Napier
Napier's elegant seaside avenue is lined with huge Norfolk Island pines, and dotted with motels and charming timber villas. Along its length are parks,…
Napier
Wooden palisades, carved pou (memorial posts) and a carved gate help bring this pā (fortified village) site to life. An hour-long loop walk across grassy…
Gisborne
There's no let-up in Gisborne's Endeavour endeavours: in the riverside park is a dynamic statue of Nicholas Young, Captain Cook’s cabin boy, whose eagle…
Gisborne
Some 7km west of the town centre in the suburb of Matawhero, this historic Presbyterian church is the only building in the village to have survived the…
Gisborne
Near the summit of Kaiti Hill in Titirangi Reserve is Cook's Plaza. Due to a cock-up of historic proportions, the Cook statue here isn’t garbed in British…
Central Hawke’s Bay Settlers Museum
Hawke's Bay
The interesting old Central Hawke’s Bay Settlers Museum in Waipawa has plenty of pioneer artefacts, old photos and a good specimen of a river waka (canoe)…
Napier
On the run from the law? Assuage your guilt with a tour of the grim 1862 Napier Prison (the oldest in NZ) on the hill behind the town. There's a self…
East Coast Museum of Technology
Gisborne
Think analogue not digital; old-age not space-age. About 6km west of the town centre, this improbable medley of farm equipment, fire engines and sundry…
East Cape
Tree-huggers will enjoy the 3000 rare plants at Hackfalls, a 3km detour from the turn-off at the Tiniroto Tavern. Explore by yourself, or book a guided…
East Cape
Not far from the Nuhaka roundabout is Kahungunu Marae. From the roadside (it's not open to the public), check out the carving at the meeting house’s apex:…
Napier
Whoa! A massive waterfall right in the middle of Napier! There may be an artificial pump system in play, but we don't mind – it's still an impressive…
Gisborne
The town gardens are sitting pretty beside the Taruheru River – a beautiful spot for a picnic and a romp around the big playground. Wiggle through the NZ…
