Hawke's Bay hill farmers smiling after the rain

Cape Kidnappers farm under a shroud of mist. Photo / Warren Buckland

Rain over the weekend in Hawke's Bay has "set up" some hill country areas in the region for autumn.

While rain totals remained low in Napier and Hastings, some parts of Hawke's Bay copped a drenching over the weekend and into Monday.

Mahia Peninsula had the heaviest rainfall with 78.8mm recorded in the 48 hours from Friday.

Federated Farmers Hawke's Bay provincial president Jim Galloway said the rain received by farmers on the hills and coast means they were better prepared for a dry autumn.

"This means [they will have the ability] to grow a reasonable amount of grass for winter, so they can have some feed on hand for winter, when the grass growth slows down.

"Farmers not set up will be feeding out their silage.

"Some are feeding grain to their ewes to get them ready for mating, some are delaying buying stock.

There is no 'one size fits all' solution from the sky though, he said.

The drier areas of Hawke's Bay, particularly Central Hawke's Bay, will need to get 15mm of rain every week over autumn to be "set up", Galloway says.

"Everyone is aware of it, if things get tough, reach out."

The impact of the recent rain on Hawke's Bay winegrowers has been negligible.

Hawke's Bay Winegrowers Association chairman Michael Henley says the rain had "very little impact".

"We have had a very good long autumn and most of the grapes have been picked.

"The ones hanging out there are still in pretty good condition.

"All it has done is provided a little bit of a drink. It has been a good autumn for us", says Henley.