HAWKE'S BAY

On the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, the city of Napier and surrounding Hawke’s Bay region are synonymous with homegrown produce, from wine to figs and seafood.

- Jean Teng

The bike path alongside the coastal road heading south from Napier’s city centre is sprinkled with cyclists, likely on their way to the next wine tasting. Cycling from winery to winery along the 125-mile Hawke’s Bay Trails, cooled by the sea breeze, is the best way to experience the region, says my taxi driver, as we zoom past the riders. A Napier local, he tells me one of his other part-time jobs is picking apples at a nearby orchard — a seasonal necessity, given that Hawke’s Bay is the largest apple-growing region in New Zealand. “Here to write about food?” he asks me. “You’re gonna need more than three days.”

The easiest way to understand Napier and Hawke’s Bay is to eat what they grow. Te Matau-a-MÄui (the name of Hawke’s Bay in reo MÄori, the language spoken by New Zealand’s indigenous MÄori population) has a temperate, Mediterranean-like climate that yields fantastic produce. This includes extra virgin olive oil cold-pressed from fruit grown near Ngaruroro River; Bay blueberries grown on a small property owned by the Hirst family, under the shadow of Te Mata Peak; and seasonal stone fruits that tumble out of crates in deep purples, rich reds and bright yellows.