Five food finds

CHEESE

There are a lot of dairy farms

in Hawke’s Bay, meaning cheesemaking is a common undertaking. Check out Origin Earth’s semi-soft, creamy, singlefarm-origin Takenga range.

OLIVES

With its long, hot summers, Hawke’s Bay has the ideal climate for growing olives. The olives

in the south are strong and punchy, while the northern trees produce much softer flavours. Varieties range from Kalamata and Manzanilla — for eating — to Koroneiki and Picual, which are

popular for their oil. MERLOT & CHARDONNAY Just under half of all grapes grown in Hawke’s Bay are either Merlot or Chardonnay, with the latter’s best yield grown in the temperate

coastal areas. For a purist’s experience, visit Napier’s Tony Bish Wines for its Chardonnay.

SEAFOOD

Napier’s restaurants serve up under-used fish species, such as butterfish and blue moki. Seafood restaurant Hunger Monger has the freshest catch in the city.

SYRAH

There’s no escaping wine on a visit to Napier, and it would be remiss not to mention this deep

purple tipple (also known as Shiraz) which is bright, plummy, and made in abundance here.