A New Zealand summer driving tour from Hawke’s Bay to Wellington
Getting off the beaten track is easy in New Zealand – there are just 4.6 million people in a country ten per cent bigger than Great Britain that has a whopping 64 million.
You could think there’s hardly anyone here, and in some parts, you’d be right.
Even in the height of summer you can find space and peace, while never being too far from the fun and liveliness of local towns and cities.
Hawke’s Bay is one region to visit if you want a bit of both. It’s not on the well-trodden tourism routes but has more than most; a fascinating recent history, world class wineries, beautiful rolling scenery and a few surprises too.
One thing you will notice immediately is every square metre seems to be productive – fruit, olives, grapes, horticulture, dairy, sheep farming, beef farming, even lavender.
This is one of New Zealand’s principal fruit growing areas and the region’s plains are full of orchards. It is also renowned for its vegetables and the long, hot summers and cool winters make it ideal for grapes.
There are over 100 vineyards and 70 wineries in the Hawke’s Bay region and it all started with a few French Missionaries.
From these spiritual beginnings, the sacred art of wine making has now grown into a much larger and world famous industry that’s at the heart of this prolific region.
To explore Hawke’s Bay you will definitely need a car as you will be enticed to go wherever whim takes you.
The best deals for cheap rental cars are at New Zealand Discount Car Rentals, where you can get one for as little as $14.95 for a 40-day hire, but if you want a little bit more space and comfort you can still get a large family sedan from $29.95 a day*.
Most visitors will fly into Auckland International Airport, which is about a 400 km or five hour drive to Napier, on the coast in Central Hawke’s Bay.
Here are a few ideas for a regional tour before heading south to Wellington.
Day One – a tour of Napier City, “Art Deco Capital of the World”
The City of Napier has been shaped by natural disaster after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake brought destruction on 3rd February 1931.
The stories from this tragedy are both heart-breaking and visionary – 256 people were killed and the City was flattened. It is the worst natural disaster in New Zealand history but it also set the scene for what Napier has become today.
A determination to rebuild gained momentum soon after the quake so the City re-emerged in the style of the era, Art Deco, with most of it complete within two years, an incredible feat.
Napier is now considered one of the foremost Art Deco Centres in the World, along with South Beach, Miami, Florida.
It has the world’s largest and most concentrated collection of Art Deco buildings including Spanish Mission and Stripped Classical, celebrated every February at the Art Deco Festival. This is a time when Napier dresses up, dusts off the classic car and parades, and parades some more.
Even if you can’t make the Festival, Napier is still worth a whole day of walking around.
The best way to see it and hear the history is on a guided tour – try those run by the Art Deco Trust, who have been showing off the City for 30 years.
On a tour you will see famous sights including: The Original Tobacco Company Building, Hotel Central, The Napier Arch and the Daily Telegraph Building.
Napier gives you the chance to take yourself back in time, in a living museum.
Day Two – Mission Estate, the birthplace of Hawke’s Bay wine and Cape Kidnappers, the birthplace of a lot of gannets!
Just 12 minutes’ drive outside Napier, in the suburb of Taradale, is what some say is the genesis of New Zealand’s now world famous wine industry.
Mission Estate is a former seminary dating back to 1851 when French missionaries arrived in Hawke’s Bay.
There is one very important thing missionaries need for the traditional sacrament of communion and that’s fine red wine, so the industrious missionaries planted a few vines.
The wine produced was exceptional and is the forebear for the vintages now produced in Hawke’s Bay. Many of the traditional winemaking techniques used by the French pioneers are still used today.
Mission Estate passed from holy hands to being a commercial enterprise around 25 years ago when all the resident seminarians moved to Auckland.
History of this length and in a craft like wine-making is unique in New Zealand, which makes a visit to Mission Estate essential for anyone coming to Hawke’s Bay.
Another must-do is a visit to Cape Kidnappers, the world’s largest mainland gannet colony.
The headland is named after an attempted kidnap of one of Captain Cook’s crew from the HMS Endeavour during a landfall in October 1769. This event has left its mark with what must be one of the most memorable place names in the country.
The gannet colony is located at the end of the impressive mudstone headland that cascades down a number of rocky crumbling outcrops out into the Pacific.
Local companies have been running Cape Kidnapper gannet tours for decades – they started with old Model T Fords, trucks and buggies, which soon rusted away with the salt water, so in 1969 they introduced tractors and purpose built trailers.
Locally owned and run you will get close and personal with these majestic birds in their natural habitat, and be told the story about how they migrate and return to the exact same spot years later.
You will learn about the unique geology and the towering cliffs, and the way earthquakes and fault lines have shaped the coastline. You will be shown fossils and see gullies carved by wind and water.
This is a unique fun eco-experience suitable for all ages and fitness levels – no roads, being outdoors, waves crashing, riding on the back of a tractor – what could be better?
Day Three – a smorgasbord of activities
Like anywhere in New Zealand you could quite easily fill up a week in Hawke’s Bay so here’s an eclectic list of things to do if you want to stick around.
Cycling is popular in Hawke’s Bay with 200km of varied trails meandering around and between the twin cities of Napier and Hastings – mostly flat they crisscross over the river plain and along the coast.
The wineries trail is a popular one, through the vines, past olive groves and across farmland. You will come across several award winning vineyards, including Gimblett Gravels and Sileni Estate, so there’s plenty to see and taste along the way.
There is also the Landscapes Ride through the picturesque coastal communities of Haumoana, Te Awanga and Clifton, which border the coastline towards Cape Kidnappers.
The Water Ride is flat, easy and perfect for families, and provides panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean and includes the Ahuriri Estuary, a sanctuary for endangered wetland wildlife.
If you fancy something a little less energetic, Napier and Hastings are both centres for the arts, design and culture.
There are galleries and studios across the region and to find them Creative Hastings publishes the Hawke’s Bay Art Guide. It also runs the Hastings Community Art Centre in Russell Street, Hastings, and stages numerous concerts and events including the annual Blossom Festival.
Hawke’s Bay is also proud of its Maori cultural heritage that forms a strong link between the past and present with diverse districts each carrying their own unique history.
This includes legends and mythology such as Maui fishing up the North Island of New Zealand. The fish hook, according to this legend, became the Cape that now forms the southernmost tip of Hawke’s Bay, hence the Maori name: ‘Te Matau a Maui’, the ‘Hook of the Fish of Maui’.
Along with the living museum of Napier City itself there is also the rustic Woolworld at Clifton, if you want to be taken on a journey back to the historic charm of a traditional farm. Here you will find the historic woolshed at Clifton Station built in 1886.
Theatre options are also plentiful and you can take your pick between Hawke’s Bay MTG (Museum Theatre and Gallery), the City’s Municipal Theatre and the Black Barn Amphitheatre, reputedly one of the best outdoor venues in the world.
As is the case for anywhere in New Zealand adventure is also never too far away.
In the northern part of Hawke’s Bay is the Mohaka River the home of Mohaka Rafting, with guides who will take you on an adventure into scenic and remote backcountry.
On offer is anything from a half day Grade II rafting and inflatable kayak trips, to a full day Grade 3, 4 or 5 excursion and even multi-day adventures.
Raft, float, swim, cliff jump, fish for a trophy trout, relax in natural thermal pools – this is the way to see a part of New Zealand most will never set eyes on.
If water fun is your thing but you don’t want to go bush, there can’t be a better place to get wet than Splash Planet in Hastings.
This is a water theme park with rides and fun for all ages. There are straight fast ones, windy ones, double ones and a never ending river, some even finishing in a hot pool.
And finally on the Hawke’s Bay bucket list, if you just want to look at things in the water, try a visit to the National Aquarium – and if tempted you can swim with the sharks!
After all this, head south to Martinborough, in the Wairarapa – from Napier it’s a 270 km trip or just over 3 hours depending on your eagerness to stop and take photos.
Day Four – Martinborough, a wine village at the heart of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail
As you travel around New Zealand you will realise wine is a common theme – and there’s good reason.
The New Zealand wine story is full of recent pioneering history, beautiful scenery, exquisite cuisine and the art and culture of winemaking.
And Martinborough is a place to experience all of this.
Just 80 kms north of Wellington it is a favourite weekend retreat for the Capital and it also hosts some world class events including Toast Martinborough.
Just three decades ago the town was just colonial and sleepy but a realisation about its cool climate and mineral laden soil, plus New Zealand’s growing skill in winemaking, has transformed Martinborough into a World Class Wine Village.
There are 24 wineries in and around the town. Pinot Noir is the flagship wine with an elegance and style that has been the foundation of Martinborough’s reputation. But it also boasts a huge range of other varieties: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris and an emerging Rhone style Syrah.
According to wine writers, the wines of the region have complexity, structure and tropical fruit sweetness and this is what sets Martinborough apart.
Excellent cuisine has also developed alongside the vineyards with many wineries also having fine restaurants.
There are many vineyard tours on offer and with the wineries never too far away from town you can enjoy the wine and food, without the worry of driving.
It would be easy to lose yourself for many days in Martinborough.
Day Five – Wellington, New Zealand’s Capital City
Lonely Planet labelled Wellington as The Coolest Little Capital in the World – it may be a small city but it has a big reputation.
Just 1.5 hours drive from Martinborough, once there, you won’t need your car very much as Wellington is a walking city.
Here are a few things to put on your to-do list:
Te Papa is New Zealand’s National Museum, renowned for being highly cultural, scholarly, innovative and fun. Its collections span five areas: art, history, Pacific, Māori, and the natural environment.
It has regular feature exhibitions with the main current attraction being Gallipoli – The Scale of our War, developed with WETA Workshop of Lord of the Rings fame.
This exhibition tells personal stories and presents the tragedy of the Gallipoli in all its failed glory – an absolute must until April 2018.
After spending a few hours indoors, if the weather is behaving try a trip up The Wellington Cable Car and a walk around the Botanic Gardens, at the top of the hill.
From here you will get the best vista of the City, the harbour and the Rimutaka Ranges to the east. On a good day this has to be one of the best City views in the entire country.
Stop for a coffee at The Wellington Skyline Café or stroll into Kelburn Village and wonder how houses can cling to the sides of such precipitous hills!
Half an hour to the east of the Central City is Miramar and WETA Workshop, the very place where the props for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were dreamed up and created, as well as other films such as Avatar and The Adventures of Tintin.
You will be taken on a guided tour by people who have created the props you’ve seen in the movies, so go armed ready to ask lots of questions because they are a mine of information. You will meet a couple of trolls too, outside the WETA Cave, which is a shop but may as well be a museum.
For some relaxation and entertainment Wellington is second to none.
Restaurants are plentiful and there are some fantastic ones, such as Logan Brown, the Boulcott Street Bistro, and Dockside and Shed 5 on the waterfront.
Wellington is also the Craft Beer Capital of New Zealand. You can find beers here you have never heard of, whether you are from overseas or from New Zealand – they are that craft!
The waterfront is a hive of activity at any weekend and busier if the sun is out. Buskers compete for your ears and your eyes, and there’s a cheap-as farmer’s market.
There are theatres to enjoy such as the St James, Circa and BATS and more museums including Museum of Wellington City and Sea. Shopping is also great as it’s not in a Mall – the City Centre is Wellington’s Mall.
And if you just want to wander and explore, it’s great place for this too.
You will be pushed to “do” Wellington in a day so why not stay for as long as you like?
Road trips in New Zealand
Road trips are a fantastic way of getting under the skin of New Zealand – you can go at your own pace, meet local people, see some sites and go to events when and where you like.
Driving times will always be longer than you think because our roads twist through rolling and hilly scenery. There is plenty of information about New Zealand driving for you to read before you arrive – try looking at DriveSafe, which is full of videos and advice.
Remember, we drive on the left side of the road.
Enjoy your trip, take breaks and please drive safely.
(*-seasonal and term conditions apply)