It's a cool Friday, but the sun is shining. With the blue skies today sounds like a good day to explore Te Mata Peak which rises 399 meters (1,300 feet) above Hawke's Bay.
We drive through North Hastings and find Te Mata Peak Road. It twists and turns. We stop at a couple of turn offs on the way up to enjoy the wooded then expansive scenery. The road continues to narrow to the point that it reminds William of driving in Scotland. From the peak we can see much of the bay. Below us we see a winery and decide that is the winery visit for the day.
After enjoying the summit we descend to one of the first parking lots in the park. Here we explore the hiking trails. Piwakawaka Loop is just 1.3 km, and it is rated a moderately hard walk. Sounds good. We tramp through the trail enjoying gum trees, native bush, redwoods, and eucalyptus.
Once back in the car we make our way to Craggy Range, the winery we saw from the summit. It is a beautiful facility which was built mostly for visitors. They have an upscale restaurant, lovely tasting area and even a few cottages for rent on the property. The wine production occurs a several kilometers away.
This time our sommelier is from Budapest! She has a lovely Hungarian-New Zealand accent. She came to New Zealand as a student and was happy to receive a working permit then residency visa. We discuss Craggy Ridge wines and vineyards as well as the "adventure" of flying long distances. We laugh at how she (and we) now consider a 5-6 hour flight a reasonably short time in the air.
We like the Craggy Ridge reds, and purchase a bottle of their 2013 Merlot. We're getting quite the collection of wines at home.
Once back in the car we make our way to Craggy Range, the winery we saw from the summit. It is a beautiful facility which was built mostly for visitors. They have an upscale restaurant, lovely tasting area and even a few cottages for rent on the property. The wine production occurs a several kilometers away.
This time our sommelier is from Budapest! She has a lovely Hungarian-New Zealand accent. She came to New Zealand as a student and was happy to receive a working permit then residency visa. We discuss Craggy Ridge wines and vineyards as well as the "adventure" of flying long distances. We laugh at how she (and we) now consider a 5-6 hour flight a reasonably short time in the air.
We like the Craggy Ridge reds, and purchase a bottle of their 2013 Merlot. We're getting quite the collection of wines at home.
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