Where is best to stay in Hawkes Bay for a 2 day trip?
 

Hello,

I am travelling with my partner and my parents to Hawkes Bay from Wellington and planning to spend 2 nights.

We love wine, and would possibly prefer to stay on the coast or wherever is most scenic. Would anyone recommend 2 nights in Hastings/ 2 nights in Napier or do one night in each?

Im thinking it would be easier to base ourselves in one place for both nights so we can squeeze a wine tour in on the full day???

Any suggestions or advice is much appreciated! :-)

just to note we love seeing sights also! not just wine :-)

Depends on your budget......

A nice area to stay in is around the township of Havelock North. It has some pleasant restaurants at which lots of locals dine.

We have stayed in the Harvest Lodge Motel in Havelock North - comfortable and very popular I believe. Right in the township

Or you could ask Black Barn Retreats, if Rush Cottage is available for two nights. It is part of their fabulous self catering collection. Higher end but worth it if you are driving anyway.
http://blackbarn.com/property.asp?id=2

And you are walking distance to the Black Barn restaurant which is terrific too. On Saturdays there is a popular market on the vineyard and to top it all off if you get lucky they will be hosting a concert series in their Amphitheatre.

Superb wines are made by Craggy Range, Church Road, Trinity Hill, Atarangi to name a few.
Sights take a tour to Cape Kidnappers to see the gannets.

Lunch at Cape Kidnappers Lodge is divine and gorgeous interior design - worth a visit. But there are much less expensive places

Good luck. And enjoy your travels to Hawkes Bay.

We stayed in Napier, right across from the beach in a self contained apartment with kitchen, on Marine Parade street. We don't live in a home with an ocean view, so we really love it when we can book into a place with an ocean view while on vacation. The aquarium was across the street (at the beach). Restaurants and shops were within walking distance. We had no trouble driving to the wineries, which were close (about 20 to 30 minutes away and in the same general areas), and other scenic spots.

The beach is gorgeous, but the water is not safe for swimming. There are safer beaches nearby.

Napier's National Aquarium of NZ is small but nice and displays indigenous animals like the tuatara and kiwi, as well as hundreds of fish, including those from New Zealand's East Coast.

In Havelock North, the drive up to Te Mata Peak offers spectacular views (though be forewarned, the road is narrow). Also in Havelock North, you can visit Arataki Honey, which sells a wide variety of honey, but also candles and toiletries containing bee products.

Mission Estate Winery is beautiful. Our favorite is Craggy Range Winery on Te Muna Road in Hastings. The winery and its setting are beautiful. The restaurant is excellent. Craggy Range wines are award-winning.

If you decide to drive out to the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers you can also stop in at Kim Crawford Winery.

Matariki, Trinity Hill, Esk Valley, Te Mata, Church Road, CJ Pask, and Vidal were among the other wineries we enjoyed.

The Ahuriri waterfront development of Napier also has a lot of nice cafes and restaurants.

The Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery, also on the Marine Parade in Napier, is small and holds modest collections. It is probably not worth visiting if you will be in the area for such a short time.

Hawkes Bay is a reasonably compact area and is easy to get around by car. I prefer to stay in the Havelock North area, and visit Hastings and Napier, and the surrounding areas, from there. It is not right on the coast, though.
Rob.

Saving with thanks.