Hawkes Bay, Walks & Parks

The Te Angiangi Marine Reserve was established in 1997 and covers an area of about 446 hectares between Blackhead and Aramoana beaches. The reserve, which protects this part of the coast, offers opportunities for swimming, walking, shore diving and boating. Between Blackhead and Paoanui Point at low tide birds like kingfishers, oyster catchers and godwits can be seen. Explore the rock pools to find fish, crabs and kina (but return any rocks to their original position) or snorkel in the sheltered waters of Stingray or Shelly Bays and discover reef animals like paua, opal shells and rock lobsters.

The beach area between Spriggs Park, just after West Point, and Perfume Point, is a decent swimming spot. There’s a playground in Spriggs Park, right at the beach, and a café, toilets and carpark. A boardwalk makes walking with buggies easy, round to Perfume Point. There’s another restaurant at this end, and you can carry on round towards the marina.

Good, sealed road to the top of this impressive hill, that winds up on one side, and drops straight down in a sheer bluff on the other. Impressive 360 views from the top, of the whole Hawkes Bay region, and on a clear day you can see as far as Mount Ruapehu. Scattered, tiny, below are some of the fabulous wineries of the Hawkes Bay district, along with the Te Mata cheesery.

Worth the drive up. There are toilets up here and picnic table, and you get a bird’s eye view of Napier port. Panels explain the workings of the port, and what the different machinery is for, and it’s always fun to watch one of the cruise ships if in berth.

One of the best beaches in Hawkes Bay with 10 kilometres of golden sand, Ocean beach is extremely popular with holiday makers in the summer months. The waters are safe for swimming, although a current will carry you down the beach a little. Lifeguards patrol during the busiest months. Ocean Beach is relatively undeveloped with no shops nearby, so bring your own food!

The Quarry Gardens were developed in the 1970s and the Napier Prison inmates were given the work of extracting the stone. Some prisoners individually carved many stones with personal designs and patterns. Entrance to the Old Napier Prison is 200m further up Coote Road, opposite the park. The gardens are a good picnic spot or take just a few minutes to walk around. The star attraction here is a large waterfall, very tidy and pretty, reminiscent of a Japanese garden.

1 hour drive off SH2, or on the way if heading to Rotorua on SH38. The road is unsealed for several stretches, and quite narrow, so care must be taken, and drive in lower gear than for sealed road. Campsite, shop and picnic area down by lake. Great for swimming, or you can hire row boats or kayaks. 400m further round there’s a DOC information centre and lots of short (30 mins) to multi-day bush walks.

This stretch of golden sand is in the picturesque settlement of Waipatiki, 45 minutes north of Napier and a short walk from the car park. The sandy area of the beach is flanked by cliffs and the beach is reported to be a good place to find paua shells, although the current here is strong so swimming is not recommended. There is a beach picnic area, toilets and a camping ground nearby.

29km north of Napier on SH2, native bush walk with educational panels, native birds and forest. The reserve has huge kahikatea, dwarfing the tawa and pukatea that provide most of the remaining tree cover. Nikau palms are also an attraction. Hanging vines, shrubs and ferns proliferate under the tree canopy, providing habitat for native birds including tui, kereru (native pigeons), fantails, bellbirds, silver-eyes, grey warblers and ruru (morepork). Boardwalks make it easy with buggies and there are two walks to choose from – 30 minutes or 1 hour. Toilets and picnic area.

This 2.6 hectare park has plenty of room for picnics and there are ducks for the children to feed. The playground has lots to keep the children amused with a see-saw, swings, rockers, roundabout and much more. The Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Society runs miniature train rides from Anderson Park Railway Station from 11am on a Sunday along with a sausage sizzle (weather permitting) An easy stroll around the park takes about 30 minutes and there are toilets in the park.

Ideal for fishing, swimming and surfing, Pouerere Beach has a camping ground and freedom camping areas. The safe swimming beach has golden sand and dolphins and seals are sometimes seen in the bay. There are toilets and changing rooms on the right side of Pouerere Road.

Forty kilometers north of Napier is Lake Tutira. The area surrounding this lake is a bird sanctuary and makes a wonderful picnic and camping spot. There are toilet facilities and a free campsite with fresh water and barbecue facilities. The Tutira walkway is steep and not suitable for young children or pushchairs (the round trip takes about five hours!), but there is good swimming in this very pretty lake and trout fishing in the lake’s northern reaches.

Eskdale Park is on Shaw Road and is signposted from the highway. The seven hectare park, with trees shading the playground and picnic areas, is popular with holidaymakers who want to cool off in the knee deep river on a hot day. There is plenty of room for the children to run around and the park has two rest rooms.

Waimarama Beach is a popular weekend and picnic venue. Its long stretches of sandy beach which are ideal for walking, searching for pipi and swimming are patrolled daily through the summer months. Rock pools are located at the southern end of the beach and Waimarama Domain has a large grassy area with shade, picnic tables and swings. A general store nearby offers snacks like fish and chips and ice cream.

Whereever you're staying in Napier, you'll find yourself visiting Marine Parade. As well as a host of activities right on the waterfront (eg Aquarium, Mini Golf, Ocean Spa, Sk8 Park) there's a walkway that's completely flat, following the beach. Ideal for walking or biking, you can stroll for several kilometers south to the outskirts of town, or north towards Perfume Point, and Napier's best swimming beaches.