The charm of central Hawke's Bay

BY KATHERINE ROBINSON

Blasting past en route to Napier, travellers often miss the charming farmland, vineyards and coast in the middle of the province.

Central Hawke's Bay prides itself on being, well, so very central. Around Waipukurau and Waipawa, State Highway 2 slices the region into neat halves, so it is about 30 minutes' drive to the Ruahine Ranges on one side, 30 minutes to the coast on the other, and another half hour's drive up to Hastings.

Heading first for the coast, I take the gently winding road from Waipukurau to Porangahau through lushly pastured hill country.

The first sign that you are near the coast is difficult to miss. Just out of Porangahau, it's hard not to see the longest place name in the world.

At 85 letters, the name for Taumata whakatangi hangakoauau o tamatea turi pukakapiki maunga horo nuku pokai whenua kitanatahu hill makes for a sign that is the length of a sheep truck. Translated, it means "The hilltop where Tamatea, with big knees, conqueror of mountains, eater of land, traveller over land and sea, played his flute to his beloved".

It is possible to walk the track over private land to the top of the hill without a guide, but locals say if you do the guided tour, you will learn about local Maori history and be able to say the name fluently as well.

Down the road, Porangahau is divided between houses clustered around the 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh Hotel and the beachside settlement at Te Paerahi 6km away.

"It used to be a shearing town 20 or even 15 years ago, and the pub would really crank," publican Jeremy Darby says. He grew up in nearby Otane and says it's still a strong community now, and along with the local custom, he is kept busy by holiday-makers and the polo crowd.

"It's typically rural New Zealand, but maybe also a bit quirky," he says.

Attractions such as Wanstead Polo Club, a plush-looking country club and the nine-hole golf course, have all brought newcomers into the settlement.

Not that space is exactly an issue here, this is a classic Hawke's Bay surf beach - 16 kilometres long, broad and sandy, punctuated by headlands at either end. There is enough room for the summer influx of swimmers, surfers, fishermen, blo-carts, walkers and horse trekkers.

At the northern end of the beach, stately Chapelwick recalls the settlement's gentrified past. Once the homestead for Porangahau station, it was rebuilt in the 1920s after the original house burnt down. Ex-Aucklanders Raewyn and Rod Sykes bought the house three years ago, and now run it as a grand but welcoming bed and breakfast. This summer, it's also open for lunch and devonshire teas. Croquet on the lawn, a wood-panelled billiard room, and a garden full of rampant fruit trees all add to the charm. But there must be few bed and breakfasts that also have an historic chapel in the grounds. "The thing I like about it is the wood inside," Mrs Sykes says.

Central Hawke's Bay does have its fair share of grand houses. On the road back to Waipukurau, I spot the sign to Wallingford Homestead, now a five-star lodge and reputed to be the largest single storey dwelling in the southern hemisphere. Further south, at Oruawharo, you can play ladies and gents with high tea in the homestead's park- like grounds.

Turning off State Highway 2 at Waipawa, I head for an icecream at Ongaonga on the Ruahine side of the highway. With its perfect colonial buildings, including a tiny butcher's shop, Ongaonga is saved from toy-town cuteness by being a working community.

Next door to the old general store, artist Perry Davies, a refugee from Auckland, has his studio. A painter and furniture-maker, Davies is known for his idiosyncratic bird-houses.

From here you can head to the walking tracks of the Ruahine Ranges. There are short tracks skirting the lower levels of the ranges, but the easiest route to the open tops is the Sunrise Track from North Block Rd. It is about two to three hours of uphill slog, but on a clear day, the views are a fine reward. And if you want to stay overnight to see the sunrise, you can pick up a hut pass from Ongaonga Store.

The main winegrowing area is 30 minutes' drive north of Waipawa, but there are a few pioneering vineyards close by that are definitely worth a visit.

Just out of Waipawa, Lime Rock, run by Rosie Butler and husband Rodger Tynan, is one of the few vineyards in the country to be planted on a hillside.

"You need to have north-facing slopes to grow vines," Mr Tynan says. "Most slopes here face east or west." The limestone hill has produced the award-winning White Knuckle Pinot Noir. It is so called because on the slightly scary upper slope, "the tractor got away from me a couple of times," Mr Tynan says.

Further south near Takapau, The Junction is Hawke's Bay's first or last vineyard, depending on the way you look at it. It is a family concern owned by Jo and John Ashworth, with son Leith as the winemaker. John Ashworth is a former All Black, and many people drop in to talk rugby or check out rugby memorabilia while wine tasting.

The Ashworths are quite philosophical about the vineyard's extreme site.

"It's windy, but that means that we've had no frosts," Leith Ashworth says. The harsh conditions have paid off, though. In the recent Air New Zealand wine awards, Junction Front Row Pinot Noir took a silver medal.

Getting there: Waipukurau is three hours drive from Wellington along State Highway 2.

Accommodation: A full range of accommodation is available, from camping grounds to five-star lodges.

Further information: centralhawkesbay.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News