In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · New Zealand
Hastings
Base in Hastings 2 nights for wineries, Te Mata Peak and the Sunday market; Napier is 20 min away and has the coast and the airport.
Hastings is the working centre of Hawke's Bay: flat, sunny, food-and-wine country rather than a beach town. It rebuilt in Art Deco after the 1931 earthquake, and its draw is the Heretaunga Plains around it — around 60 wineries, orchards, Te Mata Peak and the Tukituki River. Two nights covers the town and one wine day; add a third for the coast and Cape Kidnappers.
- Country
- New Zealand
- Best months
- Nov–Apr (warm, dry, long days); Feb–Apr for harvest and fewer crowds
- Avoid
- Jun–Aug (cooler, wetter, some cellar doors quieter)
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NZD
- Money
- Currency is the New Zealand dollar (NZD, NZ$). Cards and phone payments are accepted almost everywhere; some small rural stalls and honesty boxes are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget NZ$90–150 excl. bed (check) · Mid NZ$150–260 excl. bed (check) · High NZ$260+ excl. bed (check) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- One NZ, Spark and 2degrees sell tourist SIMs at Auckland and Christchurch arrivals and in supermarkets; passport not required.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 111 · Non-urgent police 105
- Plugs
- Types I · 230 V · 50 Hz · Same angled two- or three-pin plug as Australia, Fiji and China; switch the socket on at the wall.
- Tipping
- Café or restaurant: Nothing expected; 10% for very good service at dinner is a bonus.; Taxi / Uber: Nothing; round up if you like.; Guide or tour: Optional NZ$10–20 for a day guide.; Hotel: Nothing.; Public holidays: Cafés may add a 10–15% holiday surcharge to the bill; it is legal and shown on menus.
- Water
- Tap water is safe almost everywhere; follow boil-water notices in small rural schemes. Treat stream water in the backcountry.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets in every town and at most lookouts; DOC long-drops on tracks. Carry paper; never use the roadside.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee (flat white) | NZ$5–7 (check) |
| Pie from a bakery | NZ$6–9 (check) |
| Fish and chips, one portion | NZ$10–16 (check) |
| Café lunch | NZ$18–28 (check) |
| Cellar-door tasting | NZ$10–25, often waived with a bottle purchase (check) |
| Restaurant dinner, main | NZ$28–42 (check) |
| Draught beer / glass of local wine | NZ$9–14 (check) |
| Petrol, 91 unleaded, per litre | NZ$2.40–2.90 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NPE · Hawke's Bay Airport (Napier)
- Domestic flights only; about 20–25 min drive south to Hastings on SH2B. Check current routes and times.
Typical fares
- Napier airport → Hastings, taxi
- about NZ$45–65, 20–25 min
- InterCity coach Napier → Hastings
- about NZ$10–20, 25–35 min
- Hastings → Wellington, InterCity
- about NZ$40–70, 5–6 h
Get around
The city is flat and compact: walk the CBD and cycle the river and winery loops. A car is the practical way to reach cellar doors, Te Mata Peak, Ocean Beach and Cape Kidnappers; InterCity coaches stop at 117 Russell St. Check local bus and cycle-hire options on arrival.
See and do
Known for
- Art Deco rebuild after the 1931 earthquake
- Hawke's Bay wineries and cellar doors
- Orchards and the Sunday farmers' market
- Te Mata Peak and the Tukituki valley
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Napier | Drive SH2, about 15 min; InterCity coach also runs between the two | About 25–35 min |
| Havelock North | Drive south-east, about 10–15 min | About 20 min |
| Cape Kidnappers and Clifton | Drive to Clifton, about 30–35 min, then a booked tractor ride to the gannet colony | About 1 h each way plus the ride |
| Ocean Beach | Drive via Havelock North and Waimarama Road, about 35–40 min | About 45 min |
| Waipukurau and Central Hawke's Bay | Drive SH2 south, about 1 h | About 1 h 10 min |
Sleep
- Hastings CBD (Heretaunga Street East)
- Walkable to cafés, bars and the bus stop; best for one or two nights without a car.
- Havelock North
- Village feel under Te Mata Peak, 10–15 min drive; closest to the Tukituki wineries and restaurants.
- Napier / Marine Parade
- Coast, Art Deco centre and the airport; 20 min from Hastings if you want one base for both.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Kia ora — hello / thank you | Kia oraKEE-ah OR-ah |
| Thank you | Ngā mihingah MEE-hee |
| Please | KoaKOH-ah |
| Where is the toilet? | Kei hea te wharepaku?kay HAY-ah teh FAH-reh-PAH-koo |
| How much is it? | E hia te utu?eh HEE-ah teh OO-too |
| Can I pay by card? | Ka taea te utu mā te kāri?kah TAH-eh-ah teh OO-too mah teh KAH-ree |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Kia ora or a handshake; first names from the start; avoid: Formal titles; overlong small talk before business
- Marae visit: Wait to be called on, follow your guide through the pōwhiri, remove shoes before the meeting house; avoid: Eating or drinking inside the wharenui; walking in front of speakers
- Tables and heads: Keep bottoms off tables and hats off tables; food stays away from heads; avoid: Sitting on tables or kitchen benches; touching people's heads
- Roads: Pull over at slow-vehicle bays to let queues pass; wave thanks; avoid: Stopping on the road for photos; drifting right after a stop
- Outdoors: Carry out all rubbish; use toilets; stick to tracks; avoid: Feeding kea and other birds; toileting outside
- Talk: Self-deprecating humour and understatement; avoid: Calling New Zealanders Australians; boasting
- Home visit: Bring wine or something to share; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving empty-handed to a 'bring a plate' event
- Names: Use Māori place names and pronounce them with care; avoid: Joking about Māori words or haka
Scams and watch-outs
- Swimming: Haumoana and Te Awanga have dangerous undertows; Ocean Beach and Waimarama are the safer options, and only between the flags when lifeguards patrol.
- Cape Kidnappers: check the tide before any beach walk to the gannet colony — the tide reaches the cliffs.
- Cellar doors: many need a booking in harvest (Feb–Apr) and some close on weekdays; check before driving out.
- Rural roads are used by tractors and cyclists; give cyclists 1.5 m and expect one-lane bridges.
- Sun is strong in summer: UV levels are high even on cloudy days.
Hastings is a low-risk, easy-going town by day; the real hazards are the sea (undertows at Haumoana and Te Awanga), the tide at Cape Kidnappers and strong summer UV. Take normal city care at night around bars.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hastings yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Art Deco rebuild after the 1931 earthquake
- Hawke's Bay wineries and cellar doors
- Orchards and the Sunday farmers' market
- Te Mata Peak and the Tukituki valley
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Hastings District Council: www.hastingsdc.govt.nz/
- Hawke's Bay Tourism: www.hawkesbaynz.com/
- Hawke's Bay Airport: www.hawkesbay-airport.co.nz/
- InterCity coaches: www.intercity.co.nz/
- Wikivoyage: Hastings (New Zealand), revision 5217889 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5217889
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hastings
Ki tēnei wāhi, koa
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Hastings; the US, UK, Canada and Australia have embassies in Wellington, and most countries have consulates in Auckland. Check your own country's list.
Tipping is not expected in New Zealand; 10% for very good restaurant service is a bonus.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hastings-new-zealand). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.