Bell Rock Walk, Hawke's Bay

What: 2-2.5hr return walk to Bell Rock, panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Hawke's Bay ranges


When: Any time of year (just make sure its a clear day!)


Where: Pohokura Road, Approximately one hour north of Napier


How...


Bell Rock is a beautiful walk through a mixture of lush NZ bush and open farmland.  After hearing of the Bell Rock look out with its views over the Kaweka mountain ranges and Hawke's Bay coastline, we decided this would be the perfect chance to stretch our legs on a four-hour drive from Tauranga to Napier.  Unfortunately, the overcast weather this day did not agree with our plans to capture the panoramic sights that can normally be seen from Bell Rock. However, the mist provided an element of enchantment and to the bush, and Bell Rock in thick fog was an eerie experience, with all sights hidden beyond the massive rocky outcrop.  


The start of the Bell Rock walk is a decent drive off the main highway and there were several small landslips along the windy gravel Pohukura Road, so care should be taken!  When you pass a rocky formation in a paddock to your left you have almost reached the entrance to the Bell Rock walk.  Continue down the road for a further few minutes and you will see the Bell Rock walk track signposted on your right.  There is lots of room to park on the grassy verges next to the track start.  

The walk itself started as a gentle undulating path through beech and podocarp forest. A symphony of native bird calls provided some sweet background music with the chatter of tui, bellbird and kereru often heard here.  After  30-40minutes the path emerged onto open farmland with painted green DOC posts marking the rest of the track (about 30 mins) through the paddocks towards Bell Rock.  Bell Rock is a massive rocky outcrop, and the ridges of this outcrop are fun to explore but slippery when wet!  The return trip is via the same track, just make sure to keep track of the green posts when heading back through the paddocks!

Pohukura Road can be accessed from State Highway 5 (Napier-Taupo road) via Waitara road, if coming from Taupo.  If heading up from Napier, head towards Tutira and take a left onto Matahorua Road and a second left onto Pohokura Road.  If heading from Taupo don't miss the turn-off to the Waipunga falls lookout on Napier-Taupo road (signposted, just off the main highway).  This triple-waterfall is a spectacular sight after some heavy rainfall!

Wineries on Bikes - Te Awanga, Hawkes Bay

What: Wine tasting and retro cycling around the beautiful coastal township of Te Awanga in the Hawkes Bay.

When: Summertime, though we went on a rainy Easter weekend and still had the time of our lives. The wineries' most popular time of year is Mothers Day.

Where: Te Awanga - 15min drive south of Napier

How...

We decided to skip the usual winery tour with lunch and tastings provided and decided to do our own thing and just hire bikes, rather than a full-on tour. The retro-look 'cruiser' bikes from Coastal Wine Cycles were perfect for our girls' day out and at $40 for a day's hire - well priced. The huge baskets at the front of the bikes are perfect to collect bottles of wine purchased from the four lovely wineries in the area.

Our first stop - Te Awanga winery - was the furtherest winery from the bike depot. This winery exports a lot of its grapes to Kim Crawford and has an amazing Pinot Gris. The woman taking the tastings here is hilarious and taught us beginner wine tasters lots of tips and tricks. During the summer, this winery hosts a series of concerts so it would be well worth timing your visit to the area with these.

We then biked down the road to Clifton Beach, where we had lunch at the cute Clifton Cafe. It was then time for the next winery - Clearview Estate. This winery was very busy with many people dining there, but it had a huge range of wines to sample; including three savignon blancs, two chardonnays and a delicious dessert red wine.

The third winery of the day was Elephant Hill, where we sampled their unique red - 'Le Phant'. This is a very popular winery, evident by the signatures of famous New Zealanders scribbled onto bottles displayed on the wall.

The last winery we visited was my personal favourite; The Beach House. This winery is small and laid back and makes the most delicious riesling. The interior furnishings of the building had an awesome vintage feel, and was a great place to chill after a long day of biking and wine.