Bluff Hill lookout is a lovely place to walk to on a sunny day in Napier

You can start this walk from the middle of town near the iSite or the very interesting National Aquarium. However, my walk started right outside the day spa and massage centre. The start of this walk is a bit of a grunt straight up quite a few steps, then through skinny laneways zigzaging your way up the hill. Enjoy walking past super cute victorian houses perched on the hillside. I thought we’d get to the top with the first lot of steps, however we then walked downhill only to walk back up again. It’s a good workout.

Quick facts about this walk

Location: Napier, Hawkes Bay, North Island
Distance: 4.4 km
Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Difficulty: The steps at the start are a bit hard, but it’s not that far, I’d call it easy to medium
Elevation: 145m
Track Quality: Excellent with pretty good signage along the way
Mountain bikes?: no
Wheelchair access?: no
Toilets: There are toilets at the lookout and along Marine Parade
Dogs: Only on a lead or leash
Mobile coverage: Yes
Public transport: No need for any, this walks starts in Napier town.

SAVE 51% on last minute : 1 Hour Massage at Salt & Sea Day Spa – Napier.

Full walk description

If you really want to go to Bluff Hill lookout and cannot walk, it’s no problem, you can drive there. The car park is quite big and there are even toilets.

Here’s how to get to the Bluff Hill Lookout and enjoy the awesome views:

  • Start at the Ocean Spa pool complex.
  • Cross Marine Parade and take the Seaview Terrace steps.
  • Turn right onto Brewster Street. Look for the path zigzagging uphill to reach Clyde Road.
  • Continue uphill onto Gladstone Road. Take the steps to the right after the left-hand dogleg.
  • Turn right onto Coote Road and then Thompson Road.
  • Keep the water tower and storage tanks to your left, then turn right onto Lighthouse Road.
  • Follow the road to the lookout. 
  • Take a short walk into the Reserve and you’ll find steps and a path leading right up the hill to the Bluff Hill Lookout.

Enjoy Hawke Bay, Napier port, and Cape Kidnappers’ panoramic views!

To complete the loop and return to the start:

  • Walk back down to Karetoki Whare Reserve and turn right when the path levels off.
  • The reserve exits at Hornsey Road, leading down to the port.
  • Turn right onto Breakwater Road and follow it back to the Ocean Spa pool complex.

Map location and track

My 3d video of the walk

See my photos of the Bluff Hill Loop Walk

A rustic wooden
a walkway leading to a beach
a wooden fence leading down to a park
A wooden fence path leading into the woods, inviting exploration
a wooden staircase in a forest
Descending into the emerald embrace of the forest
Office Ocean SPA Napie
Sign Marine PDE TO SEAVIEW TCE
Sunlight dappled steps, worn smooth by time, lead the way into the forest (2)
Sunlight dappled steps, worn smooth by time, lead the way into the forest
sunlight filtering through the leaves in the background
Sunlight filters through the leaves
Surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the forest
The weathered wooden stairs beckon, leading deeper into the heart of the forest
a beach from a distance
a parking lot with a view of the ocean
a path leading up a grassy hill towards the ocean
a path leading uphill through a field with a signpost in the distance
a person walking down a wooden staircase (2)
a person walking down a wooden staircase
a person walking down
a road next to a mountain

See more of my walks in Napier