Haumoana

February 25, 2026: Forty days in Haumoana, living like a local – watching the sun emerge from the rolling sea each morning as the waves set the rhythm for the day.

Haumoana translates to “Ocean’s Breath” from native New Zealand Māori. Or perhaps, less poetically, “windy sea.” Breezy it may be, but a beautiful part of Hawke’s Bay for sure.

RESTLESS

Messy, unruly white caps tossing, restlessly
Thrashing about like wild fish breaking the surface
Relentless westerlies pushing from behind, mounting up like a threat
Crossing and crashing like a demolition derby
Before dumping thunderously, then escaping in rivulets between the stones

Keith Newman

We had intended to visit Hawke’s Bay on our 2023 New Zealand Road Trip. However, Cyclone Gabrielle arrived a week before we were due and absolutely wrecked the place. Lives, homes, and livestock lost, and roads washed away. We diverted and vowed to return another time.

And return we did, for a (*mostly*) peaceful forty-night stay. Our temporary home was Aslantis Beach House in Haumoana. The lovely Paula, an artist, and her husband Keith, a writer, hosted us in their wonderful home. Aslantis sits directly off a pebbly Haumoana Beach, with unobstructed Pacific views from the front deck.

We watched the sun rise from the sea most every morning, as did they.

This trip was living local – eating local produce (feijoa! wine! fish! mussels!), running the local trails, hosting old friends and making new ones.

Of Course There Was Wine!

Hawke’s Bay is New Zealand’s oldest and second-largest wine appellation, with vines first planted by French missionaries in 1851. They found magic in the terroir. The climate is warm and dry, the soils diverse, and the style leans toward Bordeaux-style reds – Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet – rather than the aromatic whites of Marlborough.

We walked or biked to a half-dozen wineries during our stay, savoring the local flavor.

Our favorite cellar door? Elephant Hill, a short walk from Aslantis. The manager, Alessia, lives in perpetual summer. She hails from Valle d’Aosta, where she operates her own whitewater rafting company during the Italian summer. When fall colors the leaves, she skips back to spring in New Zealand. What a life!

Napier and Art Deco

Napier is the tourist hub of the Hawke’s Bay region. The city was nearly destroyed in the devastating 1931 earthquake, then rebuilt almost entirely in the Art Deco style fashionable at the time – think geometric facades, ornamental ironwork, and sunburst motifs at every turn. It is now one of the best-preserved collections of Art Deco architecture in the world. The city center and beach promenade are a very pleasant stroll, and a self-guided walking brochure covers the highlights in an easy two-hour wander.

Welcome Visitors…

The highlight of our stay was hosting friends at our temporary home. We enjoyed a long and lazy weekend with Will and Rachel, over from Melbourne. Yes, the same Aussies we visited in Australia the year before – good times travel well. We hope to see them again in Croatia this summer.

Over the long Easter weekend, dear Charlotte friends Jorge and Jennifer came to stay. Jorge is an uncommonly good poker player and schooled us at Texas Hold ’em. He is equally enthusiastic in the kitchen, so he and Jean were constantly cooking up something wonderful while Jennifer and I supervised from the front deck, glass in hand. They also introduced us to local friends Paddy and Anne, whose warmth and passion for this place made the Bay feel even more like home.

…and an Unwelcome one

I noted earlier it was a mostly* peaceful stay. During our final week, Cyclone Vaianu paid a visit. She meandered through, announced by ever-increasing winds and waves. As the eye passed directly overhead, the atmosphere went eerily calm.

The whole experience was a bit tense – the mandatory evacuation zone included the area directly across the street. We packed the car for a quick escape should the order be expanded. But thankfully, Haumoana came through fine, with rains, waves, and winds lighter than forecast. Other parts of the region suffered slips and road closures, but nothing like Gabrielle a few years prior.

Keith, our host, dubbed the whole experience “adventure tourism.”

Small Hall Music

While waiting outside an op shop, Will found a flyer and held it in front of us. “I can’t believe Jolie Holland will be playing just down the street from you!” It was an advert for the Hawke’s Bay Small Hall concert series – featuring global artists in intimate 100-seat venues across the region (usually local community halls). Jolie is a hard-to-classify singer-songwriter, all smoky blues and vintage Americana, and one of Will’s favorites. Four days after he and Rachel departed for the Milford Track, we enjoyed the show without him — but bought him a CD so he could enjoy it vicariously. He just needs to pick it up in Croatia this summer!

We went to a second show as well, with Steve Polz. As it turned out, Jennifer and Jorge had seen him perform at a small venue in Charlotte the year before.

Small halls, small world, full of great music.

Turning Home

As May approached and the leaves (those left behind by Vaianu) began to turn golden, we said goodbye to Haumoana and headed north: Gisborne, Mount Maunganui, and Raglan, en route to Auckland and our flight home to Charlotte.

It will be a crazy May – first connecting with family and friends in Charlotte and Kansas. And somewhere in between, loading our 60 boxes onto pallets for a two-month trans-Atlantic voyage to Cascais. Then off to Croatia in June, where we will meet up with the Miller brothers. A busy summer ahead!

Forty nights, a cyclone, a half-dozen wineries, Art Deco streets, small hall music magic, and time with the best of friends. Thanks, Haumoana!