A recent trip to Hawke’s Bay, designated New Zealand’s Food and Wine Country, has got me started all over again on a love affair with this beautiful part of Aotearoa, so we thought we might lay a little road map so that you can do the same.

FIRST STOP AND ON A MISSION

Located on Church Road and only a 10-minute drive from the airport, Mission Estate Winery is a great way to kick off your Hawke’s Bay experience. Stop for lunch or dinner at this iconic winery where restaurant manager Hannah Littleton and executive head chef Ricky Littleton will proudly showcase their special offering. Intimate indoor dining spaces abound but there is no better place than their outdoor dining terrace to soak up the Hawke’s Bay sun while enjoying spectacular views of Napier city and its surrounding coast. Ricky presents a menu that reflects an expansive career cooking across varied cuisines, and combines outstanding flavours of the Hawke’s Bay food bowl. The sharing mains are generous and include a lamb shoulder ‘Oyster Cut’ with an almond and herb crumb, a ‘T-Bone Cut’ or their ‘Butcher’s Block Medley’ with burnt-onion butter, shiitake jus and Bearnaise. The menu is diverse with a great seafood selection including a local fish of the day with a sweetcorn flan, tomato and prawn salsa and bisque. But the standout at  our lunch was Ricky’s beef tartare with horseradish crème, sherry gel and sour cream frites. missionestate.co.nz 

A VERY HAPĪ BREAKFAST

Founded by homeopath Gretta Carney and herbalist Fleur du Fresne, Hapī  utilises an organic market garden that produces the multitude of fresh herbs, vegetables and greens that are packed into almost every dish. So, it is understandable that the lunch counter is bursting with freshness and some of  the most amazing-looking sandwiches, wraps and bites to grab and go that I’ve ever seen. The high-protein satay tempeh sandwich bulges with organic tempeh marinated in Hapī teriyaki sauce and almond satay and a healthy dose of Hapī kimchi carrot, and is slathered with roasted garlic, cultured cashew cheese and topped with fresh avo on buckwheat bread. The chipotle chicken sandwich uses Bostock Brothers’ outstanding organic chicken and is laden with Hapī cultured chipotle cashew cheese, fresh avocado and crunchy green microherbs. Seasonal veges in the superb frittatas change daily and the way those golden gozlemes stuffed with silverbeet and cashew cream are disappearing, I’d say they are a local best-kept secret. Any type of coffee addiction is deliciously covered while a selection of herbal teas, juices, sodas and tonics are also on offer. The daily menu, cooked to order, is small but mighty, showcasing seasonal produce at its best, and the baked goods  are impressive. Check out the grocery on the way out where you might grab some of the amazing in-house flavours to take home such as miso, kimchi, paleo bread  or chicken broth. In among a plethora of goodies I spied my favourite Corbin Rd natural skincare range, lovingly made in South Napier by beauty industry expert Wendy Nowell-Usticke and well worth your attention. hapi.nz 

A WORLD-CLASS LUNCH

A magical lunch at Elephant Hill by chef Conor Mertens might begin with a perfect oyster with dashi jelly and a glass of the beautiful Earth Chardonnay.  This might be followed by albacore tuna, marinated in soy, sake and mirin – seasoned with yuzu instead of salt – with basil oil, grilled shiitake and shiso. Perhaps some pink fir apple potatoes – a heritage fingerling – grilled over coals, tossed in kombu oil, smoked macadamia  and braised kombu will make an appearance, or pan-seared gurnard in a dashi beurre blanc, veiled in a delicate blanket of baek-kimchi grilled over charcoal. To finish, fig-leaf ice cream, with a boldly unripe fig jam and a malt tuille made from the spent grain from a local brewer. Of course, I can’t tell you exactly what will be on the menu when you visit Elephant Hill as it changes frequently, but visit you must. On a perfect blue-sky Hawke’s Bay day, as I enjoyed my lunch overlooking the views of meticulously manicured vineyards, the iconic cliffs of Cape Kidnappers and the expansive Pacific Ocean, a group of overseas visitors, who had just completed their winery tour with general manager Simon Swa, descended on the deck. Being privy to  their thrilled reaction to the location and the ensuing dishes from Conor’s kitchen made me extremely proud to call Aotearoa home. elephanthill.co.nz

BREAKFAST AT MISTER D

Serving one of the best breakfasts or lunches and never to be forgotten for dinner, Prue Barton and David Griffiths at Mister D are hospo professionals who deliver big on flavour, comfort and fun. Almost everything is made in-house from bread to pasta and pastries. This trip, I headed in for a plate of the Mister D cheesy eggs and a breakfast margarita and was completely smitten by the warm welcome and deliciousness of it all. Two baked eggs with wilted spinach on toasted ciabatta smothered in sizzling cheese sauce certainly can’t be an everyday breakfast but it is absolutely justified as a special Mister D treat. In fact, the breakfast menu alone is well worth a national pilgrimage. You’ll find poached eggs on smoked fish cakes with rocket and brown butter; bourekas – a savoury feta and ricotta-filled pastry – served with pickles and hard-boiled eggs; The Benson, glorious slow-cooked beef cheek mince, on Mister D sourdough toast with salsa verde; waffles with D-bottled fruits; the D-corn fritter with Holly bacon and maple syrup; the  infamous D-doughnut with an injection of custard, jelly, chocolate or caramel or the adult-syringe-shot filled with Hennessy cognac custard or Stolen Dark Rum and chocolate.

Later in the day, David pulls out the bigger guns with his roasted duck risotto, bone-marrow ravioli, braised octopus or charcoal-grilled eggplant plus many more from his all-star kitchen. A terrific wine-and-drinks list makes Mister D a place to settle into at any time of the day or night. misterd.co.nz

CHEESE TASTING

While in Hawke’s Bay, a side trip to Clive to visit the good folk at Hōhepa Cheese & Dairy will leave your emotional cup full and your cheese cravings satisfied by some pretty incredible bio-dynamic cheese and milk products. Alongside these, beautifully made candles, woven and wooden creations and many more crafts are available for purchase, made by people with intellectual disabilities who are supported by Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay, from children right through to the elderly. It’s a story that Cuisine is committed to showcase in much finer detail a little further down the track, but for now it’s your perfect stop for a soda or an ice cream and the opportunity to shop the full range of award-winning cheese, yoghurt and high-quality milk that starts with happy, healthy cows. Danbo is the signature cheese – deliciously creamy and made from an old Danish recipe – produced as the classic variety as well as flavoured with cumin or fenugreek, and also a Vintage version. It also produces blue cheese, mozzarella, haloumi, feta, ricotta, quark and organic, probiotic yoghurt. This inspiring organisation is spearheaded by the outstanding work of CEO Santiago de Marco, Customer Service Manager Jen Cho and the Hōhepa team. hohepahawkesbay.com 

AN AFTERNOON TREAT

Elegant and definitely a grand affair, the high tea at Mangapapa Hotel offers a chance to indulge in the decadence of all things sweet and savoury in a number of perfect bites. This historic homestead – now under the superb eye of new GM James McMenamin – was built in 1885 and maintains an Art Deco and heritage feel with facilities that include spa, sauna, gym, lawn tennis and an outdoor pool. A glass of Hawke’s Bay bubbles or a dainty cup of tea will set the stage for the traditional three-tiered stand that is bulging with high-tea favourites by chef Gonzaga, where salmon rolls, teeny-tiny sandwiches, mini beef sliders, prawns on  puff pastry and mushroom arancini meet lemon curd cakes, tarts, scones, macarons and a mango and matcha panna cotta. It’s a terrific way to spend a relaxing afternoon surrounded by beautiful country gardens. mangapapa.co.nz

A NEW TASTE OF HASTINGS

Presented by long-term hospitality players Emma and Simon Lillico, Restaurant Ari is one not to miss. A little bit bold, a little bit Mediterranean with a whole lot of premium Hawke’s Bay flavour, Ari delivers a contemporary menu that is firmly focussed on following the seasons. Refined and yet relaxed, outstanding snacks, starters, mains and desserts showcase the best of the region with a little surprise on every plate. A beef cheek ragout with pappardelle pairs with a hazelnut beurre noisette, while a roasted pork scotch marries with skordalia, pumpkin and plum, and a poached prawn tartare boasts a Spanish twist with a smoky ajo blanco peppered with the tart bite of Granny Smith apples. A thoughtful wine list features North Island wines alongside a few favourites from the South Island and some international players. restaurantari.co.nz 

TO FINISH…

There’s never a bad time to take a trip around this spectacular region. As Hawke’s Bay Tourism have put in the hard yards needed to have Hawke’s Bay recognised as one of the Great Wine Capitals of the World, and our Cuisine Good Food Guide featured a whopping 20 Hawke’s Bay restaurants and cafés in 2025, there’s even more reason to make a visit. From New Zealand to the world – let’s go get ’em! hawkesbaynz.com