Hawke’s Bay

A landscape good enough to eat

Hawke’s Bay is a place to satisfy cravings for gourmet food, fine wine and sporting challenges. Blessed with a sunny, Mediterranean-style climate, this region produces wine and ingredients that would put a twinkle in any chef’s eye.

Slideshow     8 shots SUN, WINE & SURF A massive coastline, loads of sun, fine wine and impressive scenery is what to expect around here. View Slideshow

For most New Zealanders, Hawke’s Bay means wine - lots of it. More than 30 wineries are open for wine tasting, and many also offer alfresco and restaurant dining. If you prefer not to drive, you can cycle from one winery to the next on a hired mountain bike. Alternatively you can take an orchard, farm, honey, cheese or chocolate tour. Another option is cooking school - a chance to improve your culinary skills and get fed at the same time. There are cottages, historic homesteads and upmarket lodges offering accommodation, so that you can wake to the charms of the country.

	The cross-country coach trip to Cape Kidnappers is as memorable as the views.
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With two cities almost side by side, the Hawke’s Bay region is also a place to appreciate culture and history. A massive earthquake in 1931 nearly wiped Napier and Hastings off the map, but the subsequent rebuilding programme gave the cities a special point of difference. A guided or self-guided walk will lead you through an amazing wealth of Art Deco, Stripped Classical and Spanish Mission architecture.

Episode 6 - Hawke's Bay

Bender was out to catch a Hawke’s Bay brown trout, a mission that called for the famous fly-tying expertise of Derek Quilliam. Armed with their designer flies, the two chefs set off to find Marlene Skeet at Lake Tutira. One of the few female trout guides in the country, Marlene helped the lads to land a couple of good-sized fish. A visit to a paua (abalone) farm and a local lime orchard completed their hunting and gathering for the day. Later, the chefs dressed in their finery for a tour of Napier’s Art Deco city centre in a 1934 Buick.

BEN & MARK'S RECIPES Check out the recipes cooked in this episode and try to replicate the guy's meals at home using the best of New Zealand's produce. Read More