Napier & Hawke’s Bay

Napier and Hawke’s Bay share a story shaped by fertile land, coastal beauty and generations of growers. Māori communities lived from the region’s rich plains, rivers and coastline for centuries, while French Marist missionaries founded Mission Estate in 1851, beginning a winemaking tradition that continues today. Vineyards, orchards and farms now stretch across the countryside, supplying the restaurants, cellar doors and local producers for which Hawke’s Bay is celebrated.

Napier’s distinctive character emerged after the devastating 1931 earthquake. Much of the central city was rebuilt in the fashionable architectural styles of the era, creating streets lined with geometric facades, decorative motifs and elegant Art Deco details. What began as a determined recovery became one of the region’s defining attractions.

Today, visitors can wander Napier’s heritage streets and waterfront before exploring the wider Hawke’s Bay countryside, where vineyards, orchards and welcoming towns unfold beneath broad skies. Architecture, food, wine, history and coastal scenery come together in a region that feels relaxed, generous and unmistakably its own.