Hawke's Bay is one of the 12 local government regions of eastern North Island, New Zealand. It includes larger cities such as Hastings and Napier. Hastings is populated by approximately 59,900 people and is known for food-processing and packing as well as for its high-quality vineyards. Napier is populated by about 55,700 people and serves as a port on Hawke's Bay, exporting wool, meat, and dairy products. Napier serves as an important location for manufacturing and fishing. Volcanic activity is found in the more central areas of North Island, which has had many volcanic eruptions during the past 30,000 years. Mild earthquakes also take place occasionally, due to the island's location in a region of the Pacific Ocean where tectonic activity occurs.

There are thousands of islands that are grouped in the Pacific Ocean called the Pacific Islands. The North Island and South Island of New Zealand make up the second-and third-largest of these Pacific Islands. The size of both the North Island and the South Island, which account for nearly the entire area of New Zealand, is similar to that of Japan. The North Island is separated from the South Island by a channel called Cook Straight, which is about 280 miles long and connects the Pacific Ocean to the Tasman Sea.