RTW Trip Day #95: Te Mata Peak, and Wine Tasting at the Mission Estate Winery

andrewsco3
Jan 4
2 min read

Updated: Jan 5

1 January 2026

Steps: 9,594

Happy New Year! 🎉

Watching 2026 arrive was definitely a very different experience this year, as we stood under the stars in shorts and T shirts... a far cry from welcoming the New Year back home in Canada surrounded by snow and ice!

It’s been a wonderful way to end 2025 and our world travels, and we’re excited to see what 2026 brings when we get back to Canada.

Te Mata Peak

After our fairly slow morning (we got to bed quite late with it being New Year’s Eve) we drove up to the top of Te Mata Peak, where the views were incredible.

We went for a short walk at the top, and it turned out to be a great place to explain tectonic plates to the girls. You could clearly see shells and mollusc fossils in the rocks at the top of the mountain, which is 400 metres above sea level. Pretty amazing!

Maraetotara Falls

We stopped at a lovely little outdoor café called Red Bridge Coffee before visiting Maraetotara Falls. It’s clearly more of a locals’ spot than a tourist one, but it was still busy with it being New Year’s Day. We didn’t go for a swim, but we did enjoy watching people cliff diving from the top of the falls.

Napier

After we spent about an hour walking around Napier, an Art Deco town rebuilt in this distinctive style after a devastating earthquake in 1931, we did a bit of gift shopping and even bought ourselves a cork board map of New Zealand so we can remember our travel route.

Wine Tasting at the Mission Estate Winery

In the afternoon we went for a wine tasting at the Mission Estate, where we are staying, which was included with our stay. Susie chose the white wine flight and I went for the red wine flight. The sun was out and the girls enjoyed running around in the gardens, and it was a really lovely way to spend the afternoon.

For dinner I cooked steak on the BBQ and served it with roast potatoes, asparagus, and a blue cheese sauce. We spent the evening relaxing in the hot tub, playing frisbee, and even doing a little bit of tree climbing.