The long days are upon us! Bring on Summer in the Bay. You deserve some really lovely moments this season. It’s been quite a year. Relax and enjoy:
1. Juicy summer fruit dripping onto the steering wheel straight after making your purchases at roadside stalls. Peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, strawberries and blueberries… Sweet, sweet summer right there.
2. A Central HB day roadtrip – second-hand shops in Waipawa, coffee and pastries from TenKu in Waipukurau, a mission up to check out the view from Pukeora Hill and a meander out to Mangakuri, Blackhead, Aramoana, Pourere or Kairākau Beach.
3. The sweaty satisfaction of making it to Bell Rock.
4. Skipping a day of work to spend a few hours on a towel at the little Port Beach in Napier. Watching the ships come and go, popping in and out of the water.
5. Sunny afternoon wines. I’m thinking about the beanbags out the front of the Urban Winery, with a glass of Heartwood Chardonnay in hand. Or relaxing in the Common Room courtyard. Or a lazy few hours at Three Wise Birds Garden Bar on Pakowhai Road. Laxing on the lawn at Trinity Hill. You get the picture!
6. An adventure north – ok, south if you’re in Wairoa. Lake Tūtira, Guthrie Smith Arboretum, Waipātiki Beach. There’s bliss and beauty just up the Pacific Coast Highway.
7. Black Barn Open Air Cinema. Dates are set for this season – 27-30 December and 2-6 January 2022. Keep an ear out for the programme, which will be announced during November.
8. A roam around the region’s open studios. Check out which artists and craftspeople welcome visitors at hawkesbayartguide.co.nz. Support and buy local, and you might just find yourself inspired along the way!
9. A day on bikes on the Clifton Coast. Watching the surfers. Breakfast at Hygge. Lunching at Clearview. Wine tasting at Elephant Hill. Relaxing on the lawn at Te Awanga Estate.
10. That special Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market just before Christmas. So much bounty, so much festive joy, so many perfectly sustainable (i.e edible) gifts for the ones you love.
Photo: Florence Charvin