Day 7: Hawke's Bay — gannets, wine by bike, surf
2026-11-08 · Te Awanga → Te Awanga
15 mi · 24 km · 23m @40mph
The everything-at-the-doorstep day. Low tide: Gannet Beach Adventures — a vintage tractor tows you beneath the cliffs to the world's largest mainland gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers, in full courting-and-hatching swing in November. Then bikes from Coastal Wine Cycles for a flat pedal between Elephant Hill, Clearview and Te Awanga Estate — no driving, no designated driver. Surf option right at Te Awanga.
Stops
- Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony~09:04viewpointA dramatic headland of layered cliffs hosting one of the world's largest mainland gannet colonies, where thousands of nesting Australasian gannets crowd the clifftops each spring and summer.
- Coastal Wine Cycles~10:07ebikeTe Awanga bike hire for a flat, self-guided pedal between Hawke's Bay coastal cellar doors.
- Elephant Hill~11:11wineStylish seaside restaurant and cellar door overlooking Cape Kidnappers and the Pacific; sustainable winemaking.
- Clearview Estate~12:15wineBusy cellar door and restaurant with summer live music.
- Te Awanga Estate~13:19winecoastal cellar door.
Tonight: Te Awanga
No place picked for this night yet.
In Te Awanga base plan
- Clifton Road Reserve freedom-camp
Premium council-approved beachfront freedom camp with flush toilets, drinking water and bins — park on the beach boundary, right by the surf and the start of the Kidnappers Coast bike trail.
- Napier Beach TOP 10 Holiday Park holiday-park
Full-hookup beachfront backup at Bay View (~20 min north of Te Awanga) — powered sites, dump station, beachfront café. Hastings TOP 10 is the inland alternative near the wineries. Booking rule: two-night minimum on any stay that includes 8 November — we're here nights 6–7 (7–8 Nov), so the minimum is already met.