On our Campervan journey through the North Island, we made our way south towards Wellington – where we’d eventually catch the ferry to the South Island. Using the Campermate app to scout out where to go next, we saw a winery – called Linden Estate – and headed that direction.
Upon arrival, however, we realized we’d entered an entire wine region of New Zealand in Hawke’s Bay!
So, we adjusted our plans and decided to spend a few days touring the area. We parked our Campervan at a couple free sites on the beach in Napier and Hastings, respectively, and spent the days touring (and tasting at) wineries. We had a “wine trail map” to guide us:
But whenever in doubt we, could just follow these icons on highway/road signs!
We made it to several local wineries during our stay here, and tasted several different wines. We even bought a few bottles for the van. Also, on our way out of the area we stopped at the local Farmers Market to stock up on bread, meat, and cheese to go with the wine.
Wines in this region were generally Shiraz or Sauvignon Blanc. We learned that Hawke’s Bay is actually one of the smaller/newer wine growing regions of New Zealand – the Marlborough region is the largest and famous for Sauvignon Blanc, while the Central Otago region is the best for Pinot Noir in the country. We made a note to pass through both on the rest of our Campervan Journey – we’ll just keep following the wine symbol!
Also, how about this for the most New Zealand thing ever: instead of mowing the vineyards, they just use sheep. That is, until it gets late enough in the season that they start eating the grapes!
