Editorial: Slice of Heaven right here

Ocean Beach

Yesterday was my first day back at work after a very enjoyable two-week break.

I say break, but one is never entirely away from the office. There are always issues to deal with, and queries to answer and breaking news, but I suppose that is all part of the job.

I had a fantastic time off nonetheless and it allowed me the opportunity to take advantage of the wonderful outdoor lifestyle Hawke's Bay has to offer.

I stayed here for Christmas as family members visited from the South Island. After a dramatic end to the year when I flew at short notice to cover Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa for our group of newspapers, it was good to spend time at home.

In the last two weeks I have been to Ocean Beach on numerous occasions, climbed Te Mata Peak twice and gone on many a long walk. It has been such fun, but probably the best was the bike ride I did with two of my daughters and their grandmother. We biked along the Havelock North cycleway to Black Bridge. Despite taking a tumble on the way back, the 6-year-old did remarkably well to finish.

Just before Black Bridge we stopped off at the Bivvy Vineyard Cafe and had a cold drink and chat to Cat Kynoch, who runs the little haven nestled in amongst the vines. We featured the Bivvy Cafe in our Hidden Gems series when we launched the new compact version of Hawke's Bay Today in February last year, so it was good to catch up. It is such a good idea and a much needed oasis on the long and winding bike path. It was encouraging to see so many tourists using the cycleway between Christmas and New Year.

Hopefully they can spread the word about how wonderful it is in the Bay.

We really are lucky to live in this slice of Heaven on earth.