Welcome to our Kiwi paradise in Hawke’s Bay
It began as a love story and continues to bring people together today
Just a short drive from Napier, Kiwiesque is luxury accommodation with heart, bringing joy and relaxation to everyone lucky enough to stay here. A beautiful wedding venue, it’s also an idyllic location for corporate retreats, family holidays and large group accommodation.
Owners Bayden and Justine met in a small Eskdale church in 2007. They dreamed of building the perfect home to bring their lives and families together. Starting with the Luxury Lodge in 2012, this building sits on the site of the original woolshed on two hectares of vineyard. With the property’s agricultural past as their inspiration, they built the home with red corrugated iron architecture and sheep’s wool for carpets, ceiling and wall insulation.
When a neighbouring piece of land became available, the couple decided to share the beauty and tranquillity of their retreat with others. The four-bedroom Vineyard Villa was added to Kiwiesque.
Bayden and Justine’s wish is that you enjoy all that Kiwiesque has to offer. Luxurious accommodation in a dreamy setting to help you unwind and relax. Switch off from the daily grind, breathe in the fresh air and spend quality time with those around you.
Meet your hosts
Justine, Bayden & Boris
We love the bounty Hawke’s Bay offers – from the freshest food and the finest wine, to endless outdoor pursuits if you’re keen to balance things out!
We’re delighted to live and work in this beautiful corner of Hawke’s Bay, and look forward to sharing it with you.
“We built Kiwiesque as a home base central to all we love about Hawke’s Bay, for our family to enjoy and to offer guests the same experiences.”
— Bayden Wilson, Kiwiesque
Kiwiesque vineyard
Kiwiesque overlooks our vineyard, which is planted mostly with Albariño. This white variety comes from Galicia in Spain, where the cool coastal climate is similar to Hawke’s Bay. Albariño delivers zingy acidity, citrus and stone fruit flavours, and a salty sea-breeze finish. In Spain it is traditionally paired with the finest seafood tapas, and we encourage you to recreate that experience with Hawke’s Bay’s exceptional local seafood.
Our Cabernet Sauvignon vines grow directly in front of the Lodge. We make this fruit into our ‘Farting Kiwi’ Cab Sav, along with two vintages of ‘Mad Cow’, a Merlot blend.
This year we planted Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah, Shiraz and Tannat. We will develop these into new blends to complement our straight Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our sheep play a key role, grazing the vines for eight months of the year. This lets sunlight reach the grapes for ripening and cuts back on spraying and mowing.
Kiwiesque; our name and heritage
Nestled in historic Eskdale and our own slice of Kiwi paradise that’s a little bit fancy; Kiwiesque is a fitting name for our unique style of warm hospitality.
You may notice our farting Kiwi logo. Designed by Bayden and capturing his unique humour, it signifies one of his descendants, Kawana Pai Pai, a Maori Tohunga (witch doctor) who had the power to control the wind. Bayden is a real local with heritage going back to East Coast tribal Te Aitanga a Mahaki. His first European ancestor, an early settler, set up Whaling stations at nearby Tangoio and Cape Kidnappers in the 1840s.
Our ‘Farting Kiwi’ Cabernet Sauvignon is our ‘big’ red made on-site, which includes the great 2007 vintage. Our other red wines include the 2019 ‘Mad Cow’ Cabernet Merlot, 2019 ‘Dog Botherer’ Tempranillo and 2016 ‘Farking Kiwi’ Syrah. Our white wines produced from our vineyard include our ‘Flying Sheep’ Pinot Gris, ‘Flying Fish’ Albariño and ‘Wooly Fish’ Albariño Gris. These wines were produced by the winemaker and students completing the Charles Sturt Wine Science degree at EIT Hawke’s Bay.
Kiwiesque environment
Kiwiesque has been designed to capture the rustic charm, shape and texture of the old red corrugated iron woolshed as well as being environmentally friendly.
The sun’s natural light and heat are captured by the positioning of the vast glass areas. Heat is then retained by double glazing, insulated concrete flooring and sheeps’ wool insulation in the walls and ceilings.
Natural wood fires and LED lighting have been utilised for energy efficiency. Pure rainwater is harnessed from the extensive roof area. All wastewater is treated on site returning to the land as irrigation.
Kiwiesque wines
The wine fridges are stocked with a sample of our Kiwiesque wines. As part of your stay, enjoy a complimentary bottle of either our 2025 ‘Farting Kiwi’ Cabernet Sauvignon or our 2019 ‘Mad Cow’ Cabernet Merlot.
While stocks last, guests can also enjoy a complimentary selection of our older Albariño and Pinot Gris blends. Wine science students at Hawke’s Bay EIT made these wines, and their barrel ageing gives them a distinctly oak-dominant character.
Bayden handmakes our signature ‘Farting Kiwi’ Cabernet Sauvignon on-site. Each vintage is carefully tended for maximum ripeness, handpicked, full-berry fermented and barrel aged, producing a soft, full-bodied wine.
There’s something special about sipping a delicious wine where it was grown, and we’re always happy to share more about the winemaking process. To taste the full range of our Kiwiesque Cabernet Sauvignon-based vintages, join Bayden for a guided vertical tasting in our cellar.
This $300 tasting includes:
The 7-bottle tasting is also available unguided for $250.
Looking ahead, we plan to blend our Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Shiraz, Malbec and Tannat into our future ‘Dog Botherer’ blend.
Our 2025 Albariño crop was used to craft the Linden Estate Albariño, available next door at the Linden Estate cellar door or by contacting Bayden or Justine.
Share the Kiwiesque Experience
Whatever your reason for your stay in Hawke’s Bay – we’d love to share our little slice of paradise.
Hawke’s Bay accommodation to suit your occasion
Corporate retreats
Get your team away from it all with a rejuvenating stay at Kiwiesque. With comfortable, modern facilities and room for 28 people, it’s perfect for conferences, business functions, team building and corporate stays.
Wedding venue
Kiwiesque is an idyllic outdoor wedding venue with premium, modern facilities, indoor and outdoor spaces, and plenty of room to host your wedding party accommodation.
Events & special occasions
Plan your special event at our picturesque property in the heart of Eskdale. Kiwiesque is just right for birthday celebrations and family reunions, and has plenty of room for school and sports groups.
