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 road passes sheep tracks, rickety fences and vertigo-inducing stone escarpments, cowled in a bleak, lunar-landscape-meets-Scottish-Highlands atmosphere. On a clear day, views from the lookout fall away to Hawke Bay, the Mahia Peninsula and distant Mt Ruapehu.
The park’s 30km of walking trails range from 30 minutes to two hours: ask for a map at local i-SITEs. There's also good mountain biking and paragliding here.
