New Zealand

Hawkes Bay – Shades of Grape

Suzanne

It was a special occasion, the Squires’s birthday, and we chose to visit the superb Mission Estate Winery.  However, there is more to this place than food and wine.

This well-established winery is proudly perched high up in the Taradale Hills of Hawkes Bay. This iconic place is as much a history book as it is a vineyard. Approaching the extensive property, the first thing to steal your attention is an avenue of plane trees; the solid trunks, 57 in total, have stood sentry alongside fields of vines since 1911, chaperoning visitors up to La Grand Maison in all its opulence.

It is a stunning location with breathtaking views of the countryside and the distant sea. While escaping the hot summer sun, what grabbed our attention the most was the Mission’s history. The walls are covered with photos and artefacts, clues that help to unlock the mysteries of the estate’s rich history. Arriving home, I was curious to know more about this stunning winery’s history.

Let’ start off this story in France, during 1838, the seeds of this fruity tale were sown when a group of French missionaries were granted Papal permission to head for the seemingly godless isles of New Zealand.

Unafraid of adventure, the brothers packed up their monastery and sallied forth to the Antipodes. All aboard the good ship Dauphine, the brothers took with them everything they’d need to offer Holy Communion to the savage souls they hoped to convert along the way. Of course, holy water wouldn’t suffice, for they’d need wine, and plenty of it, sacramental and for drinking with meals. No need to rough it entirely just because you’re headed to the very end of the earth.

And around the globe, the brothers sailed, tending their beloved vines as they went.
Arriving in Russell, the Hellhole of the Pacific, the first Mass was said alongside the Anglicans, and then they went off to Hawkes Bay to start their own patch.  Their mistake was realised when the brothers got quite lost.  Arriving in Poverty Bay, thinking they were in Hawkes Bay, the men began to put down roots. Two years later, a search party found them and told them they’d got the wrong bay. Oops. Maps weren’t as detailed back then. In fact, few had even been drawn. So they upped sticks and set off again, walking for six weeks until, eventually, they arrived at their correct destination, Hawkes Bay.

To cut a long story short, after a few dead ends and false starts, the missionaries bought land at Meeanee in 1858 and established their community. In 1880, for a grand total of £2020, La Grande Maison was built.

One photograph [which I forgot to photograph!] was captured by a very talented NZ photographer, Marti Friedlander, sometime in the 1950s and shows Brother Sylvester talking to Michael Hannah, a strapping chap who boxed for New Zealand at the Vancouver Commonwealth Games in 1954. After his fighting life was over, Hannah took Holy Orders and became Brother Leo. The two men, the downright handsome Brother Leo and twinkly old Brother Sylvester, clearly share some fabulous jokes. Cheroot in hand, Brother Sly looks as if he has a hidden glass of red behind his back.

It doesn’t really matter whether he had or not; it’s merely one of those images that tells a great yarn about the world the men inhabited and the lives they must have lived. For all this being a monastery, there’s a sense the brothers weren’t all about toil and that they understood the importance of good, clean fun.

To read more about our trip to the Hawkes Bay, click the link below.

A Classic Roadtrip – Hawkes Bay

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Published by Suzanne

I'm a lover of creativity and movement, expressed through photography, words, travel and sports. . . . . . .

30 thoughts on “Hawkes Bay – Shades of Grape”

  9. I visited the Mission winery on my recent trip to New Zealand in November 2019. We enjoyed our wine tasting there and I was very impressed with the beauty of the mansion, the garden, and the views of the vineyards.

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  14. It looks like a lovely place and the history behind it makes it even more special. We have a similar story around New Norcia (a town north of Perth) with the monks still playing a significant role in the area today.
    Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 😊

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    1. We visited New Norcia and what a fabulous place it is. Loved the architecture. Plus it was where I was bombed by a young butcher bird. So, the place has a few memories attached to it 🙂

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