Explore sun-soaked vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and you will experience the region’s natural beauty and dramatic landscapes by default.

The sky is wearing the right shade of blue for our arrival at Te Mānia in Hawke’s Bay. The architecturally designed lodging cloaked in Corten cladding has a length of the Tukituki River unspooling below and soaring peak of Te Mata above.

All around are tufts of native grass in muted tones that inspired the colour palette inside the two-bedroom retreat overlooking Tukituki Valley.

Stop one: Te Mānia

Te Mānia, a half-hour drive from Napier Airport, is one of 17 luxury retreats managed by the Black Barn brand co-founded by Kim Thorp, who has helped promote Hawke’s Bay as New Zealand’s premier food-and-wine region for more than two decades.

“The culinary landscape in Hawke’s Bay does not resemble the Hawke’s Bay I grew up in," says Kim, who also co-owns award-winning Black Barn Vineyards.

“I left Hawke’s Bay in my Toyota Corolla when I was 18 and didn’t return until 1999 when I had a wife and kids. We bought a barren block on the sunny slopes of Te Mata and spent 20 years developing it into a destination winery," says Kim.

There was perhaps no one better placed than the award-winning adman to evolve tourism in Hawke’s Bay. Kim worked as director of Saatchi & Saatchi in Wellington and remains the only New Zealander to be inducted into the Australasian Advertising Hall of Fame.

“It’s fulfilling to see Hawke’s Bay established as a top tourist destination," says Kim.

“The focus has always been about giving people a good time. As well as enjoying a great getaway in a luxury retreat, visitors are in position to have a truly enchanting stay in Hawke’s Bay," he says.

In addition to the vineyard, Kim, his late wife Bronwynne and business partner Andy Coltart established two luxury Black Barn retreats, the Black Barn Bistro, a growers’ market and outdoor amphitheatre.

Stop two: Craggy Range Winery

Nearby Craggy Range Winery is also dedicated to delivering unforgettable experiences in the heart of Hawke’s Bay. So says marketing manager David Peabody Junior, the third generation to work in the family-run winery.

“My family moved to New Zealand in 1993 and built the vineyard in 1998," says David.

“Hawke’s Bay and the climate here is similar to Bordeaux, which is why we chose it. Today, our best-known wines are made from syrah grown in the Gimblett Gravels, the country’s most well-known subregion for wines," he says.

Craggy Range Winery is near to this river of rubble at the base of Te Mata Peak, which borrows from the Māori name Te Mata-o-Rongokako, or ‘face of Rongokako’, carved by the elements out of ancient limestone.

The best way to experience Craggy Range – named one of the world’s most admired wine brands by Drinks International – is over dinner at its two-hatted restaurant. Here, chef Casey McDonald (ex-Cutler & Co and Cumulus Inc., Melbourne) sources 30 per cent of his produce from the kitchen garden and the remainder from within a 10-kilometre radius.

There are nods to the garden throughout the expansive dining room, filled with flowers and bowls of heritage apples. Today’s harvest is also evident on the set menu in a dish of local fish with radish and lovage, a salad dubbed ‘leaves from the garden’ and a pretty side of rainbow carrots.

“We’re all about offering a sense of place and using ingredients that celebrate our location," explains Casey while delivering a lemon posset dessert with black Doris plum, almond crumb and sorrel granita.

Stop three: Cellar 495

There are myriad ways to savour Hawke’s Bay, a Wine Capital of the World with more than 200 vineyards, 100 wineries and 30 cellar doors.

A good place to start is at Cellar 495, where master of wine Michael Henley provides a tutored tasting of local hard-to-find wines such as syrah and chardonnay.

There are also elevated dining experiences on offer at Black Barn Bistro and Malo in Havelock North and Central Fire Station Bistro in Napier.

Stop four: Napier

Another immersive way to taste the terroir is on an e-bike tour with Tākaro Trails in Napier, which follows a limestone path that connects Elephant Hill all the way to Mission Estate, where the first vines were planted by French missionaries in 1851.

Switch your e-bike to Beast Mode to tackle the 26-kilometre-long Ahuriri to Cape Coast ride along Marine Parade pathway to iconic Rosewood Cape Kidnappers.

Exploring Napier from a 1930s vintage convertible coupe, driven by Art Deco Trust tour guide Paul Unsworth, is also a fitting way to see the city and its architectural treasures.

“Napier was rebuilt after the 1931 earthquake in the style of the time, so features immaculate Art Deco buildings, some of which have extraordinary Māori motifs," says Paul, while pointing out the ASB Bank building facade.

Stop five: Clearview Estate

Hawke’s Bay is on the lands of the Ngāti Rongomaiwahine and Ngāti Kahungunu of the Mahia Peninsula, where tourism experiences are tethered to the Tiaki Promise to “care for people and place".

Winemaker Tim Turvey demonstrates this commitment to sustainability at Clearview Estate by actively reducing the use of chemicals, energy, water and packaging. “We are known for site-specific, single-vineyard wines shaped by the coastal climate and terroir of Te Awanga," says Tim.

While the French call that sense of place ‘terroir’, Tim explains the Māori word tūrangawaewae describes the connection New Zealanders have to the land where they live, love and work in.

It’s while sitting talking to Tim on the sun-dappled terrace that I come to better understand the alchemy of it all. Hawke’s Bay is a place of abundance. Of wild beauty. A perfect blend of relaxation and adventure.

 A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

Air New Zealand has flights daily from Sydney/Warrane and Melbourne/Naarm to Auckland and Wellington with connections to Napier. 

Eating there

Taste the terroir at Craggy Range Winery Restaurant, Elephant Hill and Clearview Estate. Book a table at malo, black Barn Bistro, Rosewood Cape Kidnappers and Central Fire Station Bistro for the best Hawke’s Bay bounty. Expect elevated bar bites and top drops at Cellar 495. 

Playing there

Explore the Art Deco precinct of Napier on a Vintage Car Tour with Art Deco Napier.

Visit Heretaunga Wine Studio for an audio-visual cellar door experience of wine produced by Smith & Sheth. Time your visit to coincide with the Art Deco Festival Napier from 13–16 February or Hawke’s Bay Food and Wine Classic! from 14–23 March.

Staying there

Check into Te Mānia overlooking the Tukituki Valley, the waterfront Art Deco Masonic Hotel in Napier or Porters Boutique Hotel in Havelock North.