Hawkes Bay

The small town of Clive is located ten kilometres south of Napier in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand's North Island. It is close to the mouth of the Ngaruroro River.

Hastings is a large urban area in Hawke's Bay, close to the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. Less than 15 kilometres separates the centres of Hastings and Napier, and as such the two are regarded as twin cities. In local government terms, however, the two are considerably different. Where Napier is a city, Hastings' city status was lost in 1989 when it was amalgamated with Havelock North, Flaxmere and a rural hinterland to form the Hastings District. Ironically, this has left Hastings with the larger population of the two centres. Founded in the 1850s, early names for Hastings included Hicksville, after a prominent local settler, and Heretaunga. In keeping with other local towns (such as Napier and Clive) its name was later changed to that of a prominent statesman or soldier from Imperial India - in this case, Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India. Hastings was badly damaged by the Napier earthquake of February 3, 1931, which destroyed or damaged almost every building in the town. Situated on the Heretaunga Plains, Hastings is flat with no natural landmarks. The local area is very productive, with orchards and vineyards surrounding the city. The main industries are agricultural, with freezing works and canneries being major local employers. Honey is also a well known local product. Hastings has a sunny climate, but due to its lack of landmarks and proximity to the more picturesque Napier, it is much less of a tourist destination.

Napier is an important port city in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand. Ten kilometres further south lies the slightly smaller town of Hastings. The two are often regarded as twin cities. The city is 332 kilometres by road (about four hours) from the capital, Wellington. It is the only city in the Hawke's Bay region, which is the largest crossbred wool centre in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest apple, pear and stone fruit producing areas in New Zealand. Napier has also become an important grape growing and wine production area. There are large frozen meat, wool, pulp and timber tonnages passing through Napier’s port. Napier is a popular retirement city and tourist resort, and has one of the most photographed tourist attractions in the country, a statue on Marine Parade called Pania Of The Reef. Her statue is regarded in Napier in much the same way that the Little Mermaid statue is regarded in Copenhagen, and bears some similarities to its Scandinavian equivalent. The city is located on a headland (Bluff Hill) and surrounding plain at the southeastern edge of Hawke Bay, a large semi-circular bay which dominates the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The coastline of the city was substantially altered by a large earthquake in 1931. Apart from Hastings, several other, smaller towns lie close to the city, some of which (such as Taradale) are now little more than large suburbs. Other surrounding towns include Bay View, to the north, Clive, to the south, and Flaxmere, west of Hastings. The city enjoys some of the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand, its warm, relatively dry climate the result of its location on the east coast. Most of New Zealand's weather patters cross the country from the west, and the city lies in the rain shadow of the Volcanic Plateau and surrounding ranges such as the Kaweka Range. The city is, however, prone to the remnants of tropical cyclones from the central Pacific Ocean, which occasionally are still at storm strength by the time they have travelled this far south

Wairoa is a town in New Zealand's North Island. It is the northernmost town in the Hawke's Bay region, and is located on the northern shore of Hawke Bay at the mouth of the Wairoa River and to the west of Mahia Peninsula. It is 70 kilometres northeast of Napier, and a similar distance southwest of Gisborne. Early settlement in the area included a whaling station and trading post, dealing largely in flax. Its initial name was Clyde, but this was changed largely to avoid confusion with Clive near Napier and Clyde in the South Island. The town rose to prominence during the Maori Wars, during which time it was a garrison town. Today, the town is a manufacturing and farming service town. It is the seat of the Wairoa District Council. The Wairoa District covers the northern half of the bay's coast, and extends from Mahia Peninsula to Lake Waikaremoana, and south to the mouth of the Waikari River.