Hastings Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Hastings

Hastings is a major urban centre located on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, within the Hawke's Bay region. Situated approximately 18 kilometres south of its coastal neighbour Napier, Hastings serves as the administrative hub for the surrounding Hastings District. Together, these nearby urban locations are frequently referred to as the Twin Cities or Bay Cities. The district encompasses satellite and nearby settlements such as Flaxmere, Havelock North, and Clive.

Positioned on the alluvial Heretaunga Plains east of the Central Plateau, Hastings rests in the rain shadow of the Kaweka Ranges. The surrounding landscape, originally composed of swamps and mangroves, was historically drained to create productive agricultural land. Today, the fertile plains sit atop an economically vital aquifer and host extensive orchards, farms, and vineyards. The region produces stone fruits, pome fruits, kiwifruit, vegetables, and red wine varietals, supported by food processing and agricultural services.

Māori tribes originally arrived in the Heretaunga area around the fourteenth century, settling along river valleys and coastal points. Deforestation over time led to the growth of bracken, enabling later nineteenth-century European settlers to introduction sheep without clearing dense forest. In 1867, European interests leased land on the plains, leading to the creation of a township initially known as Karamu. Renamed Hastings in 1873, the settlement rapidly expanded after being connected to the regional railway line to Napier in 1874.

A defining event in the city's modern architecture occurred on 3 February 1931, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated Hastings and the surrounding region. The disaster caused significant ground subsidence, destroyed the central business district, and claimed 93 lives in the town. Hastings was subsequently reconstructed using the Art Deco and Spanish Mission architectural styles that were popular during the era. A prominent focal point of this rebuild is the Hastings Clock Tower, erected in 1934 to commemorate the town's recovery, which now features memorial plaques honoring the victims of the quake.

Visitors to Hastings can observe its post-earthquake architectural legacy or explore its network of walking paths and cycleways, established through national active transport initiatives. The surrounding rural zones feature noted viticultural areas, such as the Gimblett Gravels region, which emerged on the stony former bed of the Ngaruroro River. The town also hosts the annual Hastings Blossom Parade, a long-standing community event first held in 1950.

Hastings experiences an oceanic climate and ranks among New Zealand's warmest urban centres. Shielded from direct coastal sea breezes by its slightly inland location, it receives over 2,200 annual sunshine hours and less than 800 millimetres of rainfall. Summer days frequently reach temperatures in the low 30s Celsius, while winter daytime temperatures regularly exceed 15 degrees Celsius.