Taradale

The Silky Oak Chocolate Company is a family-owned business which was founded in January 2000. The company has a growing selection of chocolate delicacies. It has a chocolate museum and tours where you can look into (but not enter) the factory.

The Taradale clock tower was built in 1923 as a Taradale and District World War I Memorial. The tower is where several roads converge and is a prominent landmark.

One of New Zealand’s oldest winemaking concerns, it has become a very significant tourist attraction. The Mission Estate Wineries Mount St. Mary Seminary building has been completely refurbished to accommodate a first class restaurant and function rooms. The Mission is a favourite venue for weddings. The well known “Mission Concert” has been held every February for many years.

Founded in 1897 by Bartholemew Steinmetz, a lay brother from the Marist Mission, this winery is one of the oldest in Hawke's Bay. Some of its most illustrious years were spent under the leadership of pioneer winemaker, Tom McDonald, now widely acknowledged as the father of New Zealand's premium red wine industry. The winery buildings have been refurbished and include a restaurant and function room together with a Wine Museum housed underground, traces the history and techniques of winemaking.

A small family-owned boutique winery 5 km from Taradale in the western hills. Draws fruit from both the Gimblett Gravels appelation and the Dartmoor Valley. Offers wines such as the best Viognier in the World (rated by Decanter) to multi-award winning Merlot, and Chardonnay.

The 127-m hill known as Sugar Loaf or Pukekura dominates the Skyline of the western hills above Taradale and its distinctive shape can be seen from all over Taradale and parts of Napier. Eastern views from the summit cover the Napier-Taradale area and much of the Heretaunga Plains, while western views include the Ruahine and Kaweka Ranges. The track to the summit is steep especially from the Cumberland Rise entrance. The walk is graded moderate to difficult. Care should be taken in wet conditions.

The largest pa you can visit in New Zealand. The views from this site are outstanding. You can see Napier, across to Cape Kidnappers and out to the sea. It is possible on a clear day to see Ruapehu in the centre of the North Island. It’s no wonder that Otatara was the most prized pa in Hawke’s Bay and its ownership was so strongly contested. Otatara Pa is close to Taradale and is signposted clearly. Look out for the palisades on the hill above the Eastern Institute of Technology.