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Travel Guides · New Zealand · Updated 2026 · 10 min read
Hastings is the kind of place people drive through on the way to somewhere else, and it deserves better than that. Sitting at the heart of Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of the North Island. It is the working centre of one of New Zealand’s great growing regions. Surrounded by vineyards, orchards and market gardens. The best things to do in Hastings are built around that abundance. Wine, food, a famous peak, and a coastline that holds one of the largest gannet colonies in the world.
This is wine country, but it is not only that. The city itself carries a wave of Spanish Mission and Art Deco architecture rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake. The wider district runs from cliff-top lookouts to long ocean beaches. It rewards a slow few days more than a quick stop.
Hawke’s Bay was hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, and the recovery is still ongoing in places. Most attractions are open and running. Though a few coastal and rural sites can change at short notice, so it is worth checking ahead for anything weather-dependent. Here is where to spend your time.
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A Guide to Hawke’s Bay Wineries
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The Best Things to Do in Hastings
The best things to do in Hastings fall into a few clear groups. There is the wine and food at the centre of everything, the natural draws of Te Mata Peak and Cape Kidnappers, the rebuilt city itself, and the beaches and villages around the edges. Here is where to start.
Climb or Drive Up Te Mata Peak
Te Mata Peak is the landmark that defines the district, a long limestone ridge rising to 399 metres above the plains behind Havelock North. From the top the whole of Hawke’s Bay opens out below you, patterned with vineyards and orchards, with the ocean on one side and the ranges on the other. On a clear day the view runs as far as Mount Ruapehu.
You can drive almost to the summit, which makes the view accessible to everyone, but the walking is the better way to know the place. A network of tracks climbs through redwood groves, open tops and steep gullies, ranging from gentle loops to proper leg-burners. The peak is sacred to local Māori, with its own long-told story, so tread it with that in mind.
Go at either end of the day. Sunrise and sunset light the ridge and the plains below in a way the middle of the day never does.
Location: above Havelock North, 15 minutes from Hastings · Cost: free · Best for: the view, walking and photography.
Taste the Wines of the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa
Hawke’s Bay is the country’s oldest and second-largest wine region, and Hastings sits in the middle of its best subregions. The Gimblett Gravels and the Bridge Pa Triangle, both just outside the city, produce the reds the region is known for: full syrah, cabernet and merlot grown on old riverbed stones that hold the day’s heat into the night.
Cellar doors here are relaxed and welcoming rather than formal. Craggy Range, set dramatically beneath Te Mata Peak, is the showpiece, while Trinity Hill, Elephant Hill, Te Awanga Estate and Sileni Estates each reward a stop. Many pair tastings with long lunches, so build a day around two or three rather than trying to see them all.
If you would rather not drive, join a guided tour or hire a bike and ride between the closer vineyards. You can book a Hawke’s Bay wine tour here.
Location: Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa, west of Hastings · Best for: red wine, long lunches and cycling.
See the Gannets at Cape Kidnappers
East of the city, the cliffs of Cape Kidnappers hold one of the largest mainland gannet colonies anywhere, with up to 25,000 birds nesting on the headland through the season. Watching them wheel in, land and feed their chicks at close range is one of the defining experiences of Hawke’s Bay, and the setting, all towering layered cliffs above a wild beach, is as dramatic as the birds.
There are two ways to reach the colony. The beach walk from Clifton is a 19-kilometre return trip that can only be done around low tide, and the cliffs above it carry a real and unpredictable rockfall and landslide risk, so you go at your own risk and must check the tides and conditions first. The easier and safer option is a guided tour, either the classic tractor-and-trailer run along the beach or the overland safari across private farmland.
The colony is best from around November to late February, and the beach-to-plateau track is closed each year from July until late October to protect the returning birds. Book tours ahead in summer. You can book a Cape Kidnappers gannet tour here.
Location: Clifton, 20 minutes from Hastings · Season: roughly November to February · Best for: wildlife and coastal scenery.
Shop the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market
On a Sunday morning, the Hawke’s Bay Farmers’ Market is the best single window into what this region does. Held at the Hastings Showgrounds, it is one of the original and largest farmers’ markets in the country, and everything sold there is grown, raised or made in the region. This is not a craft market with food attached. It is the real thing.
Come hungry and graze your way through it: fresh bread, local cheese, stone fruit in summer, coffee, and hot food cooked on the spot. It is where locals actually shop, and an hour here tells you more about Hawke’s Bay than any cellar door.
When: Sunday mornings, year round · Location: Hawke’s Bay Showgrounds, Hastings · Best for: local produce and breakfast.
Wander the Streets of Central Hastings
Like nearby Napier, Hastings was flattened by the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake and rebuilt in the styles of the day, which is why the centre carries so much Spanish Mission and Art Deco detail. It is less curated than Napier’s waterfront and more of a working town, which some people prefer, and recent redevelopment has brought new life to the old buildings.
The restored Municipal Building sits beside the historic Hawke’s Bay Opera House, now part of the Toitoi arts and events centre, and the surrounding precincts on Heretaunga Street have filled with boutique bars, eateries and independent shops. The Hastings City Art Gallery, free to enter, is worth an hour for its changing local and touring exhibitions.
Cycle the Hawke’s Bay Trails
Hawke’s Bay is close to flat, warm and threaded with over 200 kilometres of dedicated cycle trails, which makes it one of the easiest places in the country to explore on two wheels. The trails link vineyards, rivers, the coast and both cities, and you can ride as gently or as far as you like.
The wine-country routes through the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa are the obvious draw, letting you taste as you go without worrying about driving. Bikes are easy to hire locally, and several operators will drop you at one end and collect you at the other. It is a genuinely lovely way to spend a warm afternoon.
Location: throughout the district · Best for: easy riding, wineries and river paths.
Take the Kids to Splash Planet
If you are travelling with children, Splash Planet is the reliable answer to a hot Hawke’s Bay afternoon. The water park sits on the edge of the city and packs in slides, pools, a lazy river and lower-key rides for younger ones, all in one walkable site. It is straightforward, well run and exactly what it needs to be.
The region gets genuinely hot in summer, so this is a good card to hold for the day the heat becomes the main event. Check seasonal opening before you go, as it runs mainly through the warmer months.
Location: Grove Road, Hastings · Season: mainly summer · Best for: families and hot days.
Visit the Arataki Honey Visitor Centre
A short drive from the city, the Arataki Honey Visitor Centre is a small, free and surprisingly good stop, particularly with children. Arataki is one of the largest beekeeping operations in the Southern Hemisphere, and the centre lets you see live hives behind glass, learn how the honey is made, and taste your way through a long range of varieties.
It takes half an hour, costs nothing, and sends you off with a better understanding of one of the region’s quieter industries. An easy add-on to a day spent out around the vineyards.
Location: Arataki Road, southeast of Hastings · Cost: free · Best for: a quick family stop and tastings.
Spend a Day at Waimarama or Ocean Beach
When the heat builds, the district’s beaches are close and uncrowded. Waimarama, about half an hour from Hastings, is the pick: a long stretch of sand with good swimming, a summer surf patrol and Bare Island sitting offshore. Ocean Beach nearby is wilder and quieter, backed by dunes and hills.
Tips for Visiting Hastings
Check ahead for weather-dependent sites. The wider region is still recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle, and some rural roads, tracks and coastal access points can close at short notice after heavy rain. For anything out of town, a quick look at current status saves a wasted drive.
Plan Cape Kidnappers around the tides and the season. The beach walk is only possible in a set window around low tide, and the cliffs carry a genuine rockfall risk, so many people sensibly take a guided tour instead. Either way, the birds are only there in numbers from spring to late summer.
Do not drink and drive the wine country. Hawke’s Bay is spread out and the cellar doors are a short drive apart. Either nominate a driver, hire bikes, or join a tour. If your days involve cycling or the gannet walk, it is worth being covered, and World Nomads includes those activities in its travel insurance.
Come for the sun and pack for it. Hawke’s Bay is one of the warmest, driest and sunniest regions in the country, and the summer UV is strong. Bring a hat, sunscreen and water, and a good pair of walking shoes for Te Mata Peak and the beach walks.
Time your visit with the food. The region peaks in late summer and autumn, when the stone fruit, grapes and long-table food events are at their best. The Sunday farmers’ market runs year round, but February through April is when Hawke’s Bay is at its fullest.
How to Get to Hastings
Hastings sits in Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of the North Island, about five hours’ drive from Auckland and four from Wellington. The roads in are scenic but long, so break the journey if you can rather than pushing straight through.
Flying is quicker. Hawke’s Bay Airport, just north of Napier and about twenty minutes from Hastings, has regular direct flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Hire cars are available at the airport, and you will want one, as the region’s best bits are spread across the plains and the coast.
Hastings and Napier sit only twenty kilometres apart and work well as a pair, so many people base themselves in one and explore both. You can compare places to stay in Hastings here and decide which city suits your trip.
Keep Exploring
The North Island of New Zealand: A Complete Route
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Hastings?
The standouts are tasting the reds of the Gimblett Gravels and Bridge Pa, climbing or driving up Te Mata Peak for the view, and seeing the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers. Add the Sunday farmers’ market and a wander through the rebuilt city centre. You have the core of a good few days in Hawke’s Bay.
Is Hastings worth visiting?
Yes, particularly if you like wine, food and the outdoors. Hastings sits at the heart of one of New Zealand’s best growing regions, with vineyards, a famous peak and a dramatic coastline all within a short drive. It rewards a slower stay of two or three days rather than a quick pass through.
What is the difference between Hastings and Napier?
The two cities sit twenty kilometres apart and share the Hawke’s Bay region. Napier is the coastal one, known for its Art Deco waterfront and its Marine Parade. While Hastings sits inland among the vineyards and orchards and feels more like a working provincial town. Most visitors see both, using one as a base.
How do you get to Cape Kidnappers from Hastings?
Drive about twenty minutes east to Clifton, where the beach walk and the guided tours both begin. From there you either walk the 19-kilometre return beach route around low tide. Or take a tractor tour along the beach or an overland safari across the farmland. Tours are the easier and safer choice, and should be booked ahead in summer.
Final Thoughts
Hastings is a place that gives more the longer you stay. It does not announce itself the way the big-name destinations do, but spend a few days among its vineyards, on its peak and along its coast and it quietly wins you over.
The best things to do in Hastings are really about slowing down to the pace of a growing region. Taste what the land produces, climb the ridge that watches over it, and let a long lunch turn into a long afternoon.
Come hungry, stay a while, and let Hawke’s Bay do the rest.
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