After Waipunga Falls, State Highway 5 to Napier follows the Waipunga River with the Ahimanawa Range on the southwest side. Oddly, the interesting pyramid-like peaks on the northeast side are generally unnamed. It is the most interesting part of the drive but there are only one or two good places to stop to get a sense of the terrain.
Once you exit this section, you are well into Hawkes Bay, with farms, a big exotic forest, and the vineyards.
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