A Place of Milk & Honey in Hawke’s Bay
by Michelle Berridge - December 10th, 2008. Filed under: Eating and Drinking, North Island.Napier is a pretty happening town in general, but the Ahuriri area – tucked discretely around the other side of Bluff Hill – is particularly so! Here you’ll find a cluster of upmarket bars and restaurants, along with quaint little B&Bs, and high quality hotel and apartment accommodation, all in a charmingly historic area bordered by a long beach boardwalk and views right across Hawke’s Bay to the distant Mahia Peninsula. This is where those in the know head for after-dark entertainment!
Ahuriri was actually one of the earliest settled areas of Napier. It was once the location of Napier’s main port – until the 1931 earthquake raised the seabed by two metres, forcing the relocation of the port to the deeper water of an artificial harbour at Bluff Hill – and the old industrial buildings are still there, lending a special portside character.
It was a hot, hot afternoon when I pulled into a beachside car park at charmingly named Perfume Point. After a long drive through from Taupo I was more than ready to relax over a coffee and as I stretched my legs and swallowed the sea air I spied a little place across the road with umbrellas out on the pavement. Very cool and very low-key, it wasn’t until I wandered closer that I could see it was indeed a lovely little restaurant with big glass panels open up to the breeze. On a yellow pillar at the front was the name Milk & Honey. Inside, it was beautifully done: a mix of blonde and dark wood, and exposed concrete beams. Just the type of industrial chic that suits a place like Ahuriri. The flat white was great and the menu was enticing (not surprising when the restaurateur is Sean Burns, formerly of Craggy Range and Cape Kidnappers, and the head chef is Paolo Pancotti, former consultant to top Auckland eateries Prego and Vivace!). If you’re over this way, definitely look for the yellow pillar at Perfume Point.
