Eat, Drink in the Hawke’s Bay
Hawke’s Bay is “food and wine” country and it’s now the official slogan. Hawke’s Bay is the oldest wine region in the country. The bounty of New Zealand is grown in the area with roadside stalls, weekend markets choc full of freshly prepared fruit and vegetables. The balmy Mediterranean style climate leads to innovative products such as figs. Native ingredients being showcased in chic Napier restaurants as part of the flavour palate. The Hawke’s bay punches above its weight in artisan goodies. Think about a French baker who calls Hastings home or exquisite handcrafted chocolates.
Here is a selection of a few of the food producers however with any Hawke’s Bay food delights the list is not definitive.
EAT & DRINK NAPIER
SILKY OAK CHOCOLATES (NAPIER)
Find more about the story of chocolate at the intriguing boutique museum with its collection of chocolate paraphernalia, including a 2,500 year old Mayan Chocolate pot at the Silky Chocolate museum. The adjoining shop is an ode to chocolate lovers with gift boxes, an array of chocolate flavours to discover and gourmet treats from premium raspberry jam and assorted goodies. Silky Oak Chocolates is located in Taradale. The premises have a cafe onsite to sample the extreme Chocolate drink, served with or without chilli. There is counter food and a cafe menu.
HOHEPA CHEESES & DAIRY PRODUCTS (CLIVE)
Hohepa Cheese & Shop. Through Biodynamic farming, Steiner education and Anthroposophical medicine, Hōhepa’s holistic sustainable approach is truly unique. Hohepa Cheese is made locally here in Hawke’s Bay at our boutique Cheesery. Shop hours are Monday – Friday 8.30-4.30pm. On Saturday’s the Cheese is sold in weekend markets.
GODSOWN BREWERY
Find the brewery that rivals any vineyard for a rural relaxed setting. There is a 1970’s caravan bar, safari style dining tent and out door seating under the hops. The kids will be very happy with the extensive play area while you soak up the country atmosphere. Enjoy a vegan friendly, un-filtered seasonal beer range and delicious wood fired pizza. A must-go Godsown Brewery is a unique NZ experience.
GodsOwn Brewery location
EAT & DRINK HAVELOCK NORTH
ARATAKI HONEY
Delve into the world of beekeeping at Arataki. The Arataki Visitor Centre in Havelock North has tastings, bees and tours where you learn to taste and purchase honey, meet the bees and learn about the honey-making process. Dress up as a beekeeper and get up close and personal with the bees on a bee enthralled tour. There is free entry to the visitor centre.
ST ANDREWS LIMES
Heavenly dressings and sauces based on the juice of fresh limes. Imagine lime curd or pickles for your next lunch. Then St Andrews Limes shop is the place to go. While St Andrews Limes are a regular at the Sunday Morning Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market, Hastings there is nothing like browsing in the shop, tasting, sampling and filling the goodie bag with chilli lime infused dressing.
TE MATA FIGS
Mediterranean climate zone creates one of the Hawke’s Bay treats with Te Mata Figs.
Based just at the edge of Havelock North village. Te Mata Figs is a must go destination between March through mid- May when over 20 varieties of fresh figs are available to sample. The full glory of figs is celebrated in the onsite cafe and shop. There are delights such as toasted fig bread, fig walnut and blue cheese pizza. For the discerning cook, snaffle a recipe or two, they are complementary and try out salted fig chocolate tart. Te Mata Figs is an organic farm and visitors are welcome at the cafe / shop from Monday to Saturday, and Te Mata Figs also have a stall at the Sunday Farmers’ Market.
ZEFFER CIDER
Visit the taproom tasting bar and order a platter of fresh figs, artisan breads, olive oil dips and eats and enjoy cider crafted on site. Award winning ciders with the taste of sweet red apples or the original classic award winning green apple cider. The taproom has a rustic feel with wooden no frills seating among the orchard. It is a delight on a warm summer’s day. There are seasonal ciders and fruit ciders with ingredients sourced from local orchards. For fans of seltzer Zeffer produce a range of fruity sparkling ciders. There are alcoholic ginger beers available as well. Zeffer is available nationwide, Australia and elsewhere however there is nothing like visiting the place where it all started the journey towards success. There is an online store so you do not have to miss out.
CRAGGY RANGE VINEYARD
Craggy Range is a family owned winery situated in the shadow of the spectacular Te Mata Peak in the premium wine growing area of Hawke’s Bay New Zealand. The restaurant is the winner of two hats at the 2018 Cuisine Good Food Awards Offers an intimate, comfortable, and relaxed space. Fine dining with spectacular views of Te Mata Peak in the Tuki Tuki valley is memorable. Craggy Range ‘s restaurant menu is seasonal with a French provincial influence and designed to compliment the Craggy Range wines.
MOANA PARK VINEYARD
Havelock North is wrapped around vineyards. One of the more interesting wineries is Moana Park. The winery practices minimal intervention using natural winemaking techniques. Platters of freshly prepared produce, artisan breads and savoury treats accompany wine tastings. On the weekends, during the summer Moana Park hosts live bands and has local food trucks at the winery encouraging patrons to get onto the impromptu dance floor. Viognier fans, this is the place to go. Explore the world of Viognier wine. Awhite wine grape variety grown at Moana Park. Moana won the Viognier award at the London’s Decanter Wine Awards.
WILD GAME VENISON SALAMI
Butcher, hunter and manufacturer of the venison salami and crafted meat products. A favourite is the wild game le boudin noir (venison black pudding). Find Wild Game Salamis at the Hastings Farmers Market or rock up to their unassuming factory shop. If you do not fancy the bloody end of the meat trade, skip this destination otherwise relish the imaginative offerings of cured meats and smoked sausages on the next BBQ.
ORIGIN EARTH CHEESE FACTORY
Origin Earth is an artisan cheese factory calling to lovers of cheese and cheese based products. Naturally there is a delicious sampling selection to tempt the most jaded palate. Specialising in not homogenised, not pasteurized or stabilized it is a mecca for foodies wanting an organic back to natural process for food production.
EAT & DRINK – HASTINGS
The place is rocking with foodie destinations rivaling Napier as the place to eat and drink the bounty of the Hawke’s Bay.
HAWKE’S BAY FARMERS’ MARKET
The doyenne of markets is the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market. Every Sunday people gravitate to the 60 stalls scattered around the spacious grounds of the A&P Showgrounds to sample some of the best local produce.
YA BON FRENCH BAKERY
Frenchman to his core, Moise Cerson set up shop in Hastings and his crisp, buttery croissants, pain aux raisin, brioche buns and mille-feuille are now found in cafes and restaurants throughout the Hawke’s Bay. In Hastings it is the epi-centre of all that is deletable about French baked goods. Watch the baking process in action through enormous floor-to-ceiling windows. It is a highlight for foodie lovers.
CORNUCOPIA ORGANICS & CHANTAL ORGANICS
Both well known stores and brands founded their sustainability practices in Hastings. For a picnic hamper or simply to wonder how to prepare millet flour, spend time wandering the aisles of these two stores. The stores will offer helpful advice on herbal treatments, advice as well have onsite cafes specialising in organic and vegan offerings.
COFFEE AT CUPPLE
The innovative cafe has a six metre concrete bench which is fun as well as excellent coffee. In fact the place is so good at coffee magic Cupple is known for its training of baristas which takes place in public.
Next door, through a glass door you can witness Ya Bon, the French Bakery that shares the four walls with Cupple. In Cupple’s backyard is a rustic courtyard.
OH MY GOODNESS SPECIALITY BREADS (HASTINGS)
A place where a builder found out his mission to create a bread for his gluten intolerant daughter to eat. Ingredients include kelp powder with over 70 minerals and trace elements, a nutritious stone ground whole buckwheat base and activated chia and linseeds. Peek into the factory and milling site and observe the manufacturing of bread the old-fashioned way. The adjoining shop and cafe sells sandwiches packed with local ingredients, pre-mixes to take home and try the OMG breads. Grab something for the road and enjoy.
HASTINGS DISTILLERS
Hastings Distillers is New Zealand’s first producer of certified organic artisan spirits and liqueurs. Our decades long backgrounds in winemaking provide an ideal starting point to further explore our long time love of all things botanical and spirituous. The distillery is housed in a beautiful art deco 1930’s printing works now restored and the home of spirits and liqueurs. There is a tasting room with bites being offered as part of the experience.
RUSH MUNRO ICE CREAMERY
A staple of summer is ice cream. Rush Munro is a national icon in the business of ice cream with over 17% real fruit packed into each scoop. Savour the rich creamy melt in the mouth moment. Sit down in the Ice Cream Gardens in the shade on the white wrought iron furniture surrounded by geraniums and roses. Counter options now include fudge and cakes. It is sweet goodness.
TELEGRAPH HILL OLIVES (HASTINGS)
Find luscious plump olives within a stone’s throw of Hastings. Cold pressed olive oil by the bucket load and in every supermarket yet it’s the olives in marinades that is the treat. Pesto, tapenade, relish and dried olives scenting the shop with the taste and fragrance of the Mediterranean. And you will not be able to resist tasting the drizzles, sauces, vinaigrettes and oils themselves. The tasting room is the place to get started.
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