Hawke’s Bay offers so much

This week delivered one of the most significant announcements since New Zealand’s borders closed. They are reopening. But it’s not as exciting as flinging open the floodgates; border restrictions are set to relax in three stages. Double-jabbed citizens and residents returning from Australia will be the first to fly in and bypass managed isolation from January 16.

From the auspicious date of February 14, vaccinated Kiwis returning from low-risk countries will no longer be required to stay in MIQ, and then from April 30, New Zealand will start to reopen to all vaccinated foreign nationals. All travellers must self-isolate for seven days, then return a negative test, before entering the community.

Kiwis returning or tourists popping by for a look around will find plenty to see and do up and down the country. One destination at the top of their lists, and yours too before they dribble back in, should be Hawke’s Bay.

As I discovered on a recent visit, this collection of towns and settlements on the North Island’s East Coast packs a lot in.

The world’s most complete art deco city is there, as is one of the country’s oldest and largest wine regions.

There are 200 vineyards, 70 wineries, and 30 cellar doors, where you can sniff, swirl and sip champion drops.

Juliette Sivertsen’s roundup of cellar doors and wineries on page 43 is a brilliant place to start.

Elsewhere, on pages 40-41, Brook Sabin reports in from the region’s most underrated town, Havelock North, and on page 42 recounts his once-in-a-lifetime, envy-inducing experience at Cape Kidnappers’ luxurious clifftop retreat.

You will also discover what it’s like to walk around Napier’s haunted prison, and where to find natural wonders, from hidden swimming holes to great walks.

Once you have made your way through this issue, there is plenty more to consume in our latest Go-To Guide, highlighting all the best things to see, do, eat and drink in Hawke’s Bay. Head to stuff.co.nz/go-to-hawkes-bay/.