Havelock North Village basks in the sun and leafy boulevards beneath Te Mata Peak.

In 1906, the writer charged with providing a sub chapter to the Hawke's Bay section of the New Zealand Encyclopedia wrote that "Havelock North is a pretty little country township," declaring that it lay "on the lower slopes of a range of high hills," and that it was quite probably the healthiest township in the region.

"It has a splendid, bracing climate and has excellent drainage and an abundance of water from artesian and limestone wells."

At that time fruit growing and agriculture were well established throughout the area - the first sections having been auctioned in 1860, with the imminent settlement being named after Sir Henry Havelock, a hero of the Indian mutiny campaign.

Commerce quickly spread, as did small blocks of private vineyards ...From the turn of the century and throughout the following decades it attracted a growing reputation as quite simply a very pleasant place to be.

Today it is called lifestyle ... or quality of life. Whatever it is called, the gentility, the comfortable blend of old England and of rural New Zealand, plus a dash of cosmopolitan European flair and colour, has made Havelock North a fresh and pleasant oasis. Progress has seen the "pretty little township" expand into an ever prettier, colourful and vibrant community.

Havelock North is one of those rare places where you can set your own pace. It possesses a natural, tree lined rural calm, yet can provide a social effervescence when the working day is over and the lights in places like Diva and the Rose and Shamrock begin to glow.

The village's history is as colourful as its appearance today, and as you head south on Napier Road a spectacular, and quite regal sight unfolds. Studded into the "lower slopes of the high hills," are gracious homes with panoramic views from the Pacific Ocean across to the distant Kaweka Ranges. Included are the grand homes of families whose generations have strong links with Havelock North. The Chambers, the Nelsons and the Richmonds.

It was the Chambers family which in 1927 gifted more than 240 acres of majestic and prime land to the people of Hawke's Bay.

Mason Chambers explained that originally his forefathers had sold the land to the Richmond family, but in a change of heart later bought it back.

"They decided it would be a nice place to put a road up to the summit and make it something for everyone in Hawke's Bay to enjoy," he said.

Progress has seen the "pretty little township" expand into an even prettier, colourful and not too little but not large village

At the time it was gifted to the Town Board the Chambers family stated "for all time thereafter to be used as a public park and recreation ground".

During the depression, work gangs planted trees and laid paths for what is today a tranquil and beautiful landscaped park. And today, there is a meandering road up to the summit of Te Mata Peak.

It was the same for what is today the Keirunga Gardens. Originally sold by Mason T Chambers in 1906 (being part of Tauroa Station) it was eventually turned into a parkland by George Nelson, who was inspired by London's Kew Gardens. In 1956 Nelson gave the property to "the people of Havelock North" as a public garden and as a tribute to the early settlers of the area, both Maori and European. Like a slice of "the old country" the gardens and the serenity of the peak domain are popular for picnicking or just relaxing.

For local businessman Myles Treacher, Havelock North has everything going for it and he is quick to add that it has been good to him and his business with its furniture.

"I'm very much a Havelock lad," he said. His father (also a Havelock lad) began cabinetmaking just after the war, and there has been a Treachers store in the village for nearly five decades.

"The place is pretty buoyant, and you have to remember there is something like 10,000 people here. We are a dormitory suburb," he added, explaining that many residents working in Napier or Hastings choose to live in Havelock North for the lifestyle.

Throughout the Village Court there are tastes and sights or a relaxed and accessible lifestyle the original settlers could only have wondered at in dreams.

Pastel colours sweep across the roofs and shop fronts ... even the clock is "pastelised" as it beams down upon the shops large and small. As if to ensure the link with earlier times there is even a village cobbler.

For visitors, exploring is more fun than actually discovering something fresh and new.

In the village under the gaze of two church towers, one traditional and one spectacular in its arcing, open design, are other places to be when you want to be some place.

For those seeking the same quiet inner solitude they find at Keirunga or the Te Mata domain, but with a more intellectual touch, there is the village library...a surprisingly spacious retreat with an excellent historical resource. It is also a favoured spot on sunny but crisp winter days as the sun beams through its large windows. It is one of those newer style buildings which somehow fits an environment rather than disfigures it.

In 1996 another new "olde" building emerged in the heart of the village. That of the Rose and Shamrock, a traditional Irish pub and restaurant that has the ability to transport a soul to Dublin for the mere cost of a pint of Guinness ad a delicious cottage pie.

Across the road at Diva the end of the day is reason for contemplation and celebration ... Diva is a place to talk, take on some good food and meet people. It is the place to go ... the place to find out who's seeing who and who's doing what and what's happening where.

Nearby the Happy Tav conjures up a more Kiwified approach to a night out.

When the gentility and serenity of Peak House which was built in 1967 and arguably boasts the most spectacular view to consume lunch, an afternoon tea or dinner by, is blended into the vibrant village spots, you effectively create a microcosm of Havelock North itself and understand why more and more people are moving there. As one resident said: "The place is growing all the time but in a way it's not. I don't think it can get any bigger ... but it probably will".