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Join the Club!
Here in the Bay we have a multitude of sports and hobby clubs, all eager to grow their memberships. Longer days make summer a great time to try something new or reconnect with an interest or passion.Here are a few ideas from the BayBuzz Team:
Harriers
Napierharriers.co.nz or
sporty.co.nz/hastingsharriers
Sailing
(see Barbara Arnott’s story on page 76)
Napiersailingclub.org.nz
Croquet
(see Colin Hurst’s story on page 80)
sporty.co.nz/hcc (Heretaunga Croquet Club, formerly Te Mata Croquet Club) or sporty.co.nz/marewacroquet
Petanque
petanquenz.com/clubs
Tennis
sporty.co.nz/tenniseastern for information on all 14 affiliated tennis clubs around the region.
Run Walk Hawke’s Bay
runwalkhb.org.nz
Forest and Bird
forestandbird.org.nz/branches
Hawke’s Bay Caravan and Camping Club
caravanningcampingnzinc.com/hawkesbaycaravanandcampingclub
Tramping
Napiertrampingclub.org.nz and Facebook.com/napiertrampingclub
Htc.org.nz and Facebook.com/tramphtc
We’ve checked in with a couple of tramping gurus – Glenda Hooper from the Heretaunga Tramping Club and Kelvin Shaw from the Napier Tramping Club – and asked for their recommendations for a quintessential Hawke’s Bay walk, and another that’s magic but often overlooked.
For Glenda, you can’t beat the tramp to Sunrise Hut. It’s well known and for good reason – it’s the ideal tramp for the whole family. Taking approximately three hours to get in, and then two hours to come back down again, the Sunrise Hut tramp in the Ruahine Forest Park is ideal for new trampers, and the hut itself is comfortable for an overnight stay with the main bonus being, yep, you guessed it – stunning sunrises, and beautiful views over the Hawke’s Bay Plains.
For something a little ‘off-the-beaten-track’ but still in the Ruahine Forest Park, Glenda recommends making a weekend of the hike to Howlett’s Hut. The hut itself is the highest in the Ruahine Ranges, and is owned by the Heretaunga Tramping Club, but available for everyone to use. There’s also the lighter option of turning off halfway and heading to Daphne Hut instead.
Kelvin Shaw’s picks are both in the Kaweka Forest Park. The classic, he says, is the Te Puia Hut track which follows the Mohaka River. There are a few hills and dips, but nothing too strenuous. You can head into Te Puia Hit for an overnight stay, or keep going to the hot springs for a dip. Plus, there are more hot pools and space for freedom camping at the start of the track.
As for Kelvin’s suggestion for a favourite but often overlooked tramp, check out the Historic Iron Whare walk. If you head out towards the Kaweka carpark but take the lower track, a couple of hours and a stream crossing will get you to the Iron Whare – a small hut constructed from vertical slab totara, probably built in the 1870s.
You’ll find all the information you need to prepare for all four of these tramps on doc.govt.nz.
Both the Napier Tramping Club and the Heretaunga Tramping Club are friendly groups always keen to welcome new members. Check them out online.
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The knowledgeable staff at our iSite visitor centres have Hawke’s Bay’s best attractions sussed, plus they actually talk to visitors and have a great feel for what they totally love, and what they might be missing out on:
Wairoa
Must do activities according to the Wairoa iSite team include:
• A stroll for an hour and a half (or 30 minutes by bike) along the Riverside Walkway, which leads from the Wairoa lighthouse to Whakamahia beach.
• An escape from the heat – a visit to the recently refurbished Wairoa Museum, and then complement the heritage with some art at the community volunteer-run Long River Gallery.
• The Great Walk or any of the short walks around stunning Lake Waikaremoana.
• A soak in the healing waters of the Mōrere Hot Springs.
• An experience of a lifetime – seeing a rocket launch on Māhia Peninsula (dates TBC).
And the team suggest these two often-overlooked experiences:
• A walk in the Māhia Peninsula Scenic Reserve, one of the last tracks of lowland coastal forest remaining on the East Coast.
• A picnic overlooking the spectacular Te Reinga Falls (35 metre drop to the Wairoa River).
You can find detailed information on all these activities at visitwairoa.co.nz
Napier
Jane Libby and her team at the Napier iSite recommend these classics in and around the Art Deco Capital:
• An Art Deco walk, either guided or self-guided, starting from the Art Deco Centre in Tennyson Street.
• A tramp up to Shine Falls, the highest waterfalls in the Bay.
• A session either watching the action or joining in at Bay Skate on Marine Parade.
• A walk or a drive up to the Bluff Hill Lookout – especially when there’s a cruise ship in port.
• A visit to the British American Tobacco Building. Every day throughout summer there will be a guided tour of the iconic Art Deco building, ending in the new Urban Winery.
The Napier hidden gems we should all check out are:
• The Faraday Centre – perfect on a rare rainy summer day.
• Otatara Pa reserve for a heritage fix and some great views.
Hastings District
The Hastings District is a treasure trove of great wineries, beaches and parks. The HDC team offer the following ideas for getting out and about in our beautiful backyard this summer:
• Explore the Pekapeka Regional Park wetlands – one of the few remaining large wetlands of its type in Hawke’s Bay. Careful eyes might see 20 or so protected bird species.
• Take a cool walk at Mohi Bush with the possibility of spotting the tiny rifleman, New Zealand’s smallest bird. To get there, head out on Waimarama Rd, turn into Maraetotara Rd, then Waipoapoa Rd (38 km from Havelock North). Once you are there, tackle one of the two loops – both relatively flat walks.
• Visit Maraetotara Falls, 25 km from Hastings, via Waimarama Rd. There is a great swimming hole; spectacular water fall, and a heritage power station. There is a relatively steep walk down to the river and then an easy track following the contour of the river.
• We now have nearly 200 kilometres of cycle trails across the region, and one of the most stunning is the Kidnappers Coast Ride, graded ‘very easy’. The full ride is 26kms – about three hours.
• Check out Te Mata Peak’s truly majestic Redwood forest, which comprises more than 200 90-year-old California redwoods planted by the Chambers family.
A couple of recommended extra gems are the Shine Falls walk and the tramp to Mangatutu Falls in the Kaweka Forest Park – a beautiful spot for camping and picnicking.
All the information on these Napier and Hastings activities is at hawkesbaynz.com
Central Hawke’s Bay
You’ll be spoilt for choice if you take a day or a weekend in Central Hawke’s Bay, so the team at the CHB Visitor Information Centre in Waipukurau have a ‘must do’ list to help:
• Walking in the Otaia/Lindsay Bush. A beautiful walk through lowland native forest suitable for all ages and abilities.
• Centralines Summer Series Free Concerts – at 4.30pm February 18th and March 4th at Nelly Jull Park, Waipawa. Perhaps pop to one of the CHB wineries beforehand?
• Ranui First Sunday Fundays –archery, paintball, petting zoo, flying fox, cycle tracks – fun for adults and children alike on the 1st Sunday of the summer months.
• The cycle trail from Waipukurau to Waipawa (stop for a coffee then return) and later in summer the new suspension bridge over the Tukituki River will be opened so you can do a cycle or walking loop along both sides.
• Classics for those wet summer days – the Waipawa Settlers Museum and Otane’s little village museum.
If you’re keen to get off the main roads, here are a couple more ideas:
• Check out Te Angiangi Marine Reserve between Aramoana and Blackhead Beaches.
• Visit the Longest Placename in the World – Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimanungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu – and then continue on to Rongomaraeroa Marae, the village of Porangahau and Te Paerahi Beach.
See hawkesbaynz.com or Facebook.com/chbvisitorinformationcentre for all the information on what to do in CHB.
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Ten Hawke’s Bay Classics
You may have been born here, lived here for decades, or be a total newbie, but we reckon you can call yourself a true black & white Hawke’s Bay local if you can tick eight out of ten in this list. And if you can’t? This summer is your chance!
1 A visit (over farm or over beach) to the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers
2 Walking or running up Te Mata Peak
3 Strolling on Māhia Beach
4 Tramping around Lake Waikaremoana
5 A day on the cycle trails or a winery bike tour
6 Surfing lesson/attempt at Waimarama Beach – or at least boogie boarding or body surfing.
7 A photo op on the Napier viewing platform
8 A spend-up on fresh summerfruit and berries at a roadside stall en route to a tramp or beach
9 Picnic (seasoned with a little beach cricket) at one of the CHB beaches – Porangahau, Pourere, Kairakau, Blackhead, Mangakuri, Aramoana
10 Outdoor concert at the Mission, Black Barn, Church Road or any of our beautiful winery venues.