[3] For hundreds of years, hills overlooking what is now Taradale were the site of villages occupied by Māori people, latterly of the Ngāti Kahungunu tribe.

[4] The Taradale area is home to some of New Zealand's oldest and finest vineyards and wineries, with a wine-making heritage dating back to the 1850s.

Several hundred years ago there was a large Māori pā (fortified settlement) on the hills at the southern edge of what is now Taradale.

Food was plentiful, the hillsides were suitable for kūmara growing and much of the area was a large tidal location with fish, eels and shellfish.

[5] Taradale has a rich heritage stemming from its key role as the original gateway to the inland routes (including Taupō, Auckland and Taihape) and to the farms and settlements of its hinterland.

The Battle of Omarunui, fought nearby on 12 October 1866, saw the settlers and local Māori join to defend against an intrusion by the Hauhau faction during the New Zealand Wars.

These barriers forced Taradale's township and pioneer farming settlers to develop staunch independence, setting up their own facilities, businesses and recreational resources.

As a consequence of the 1931 earthquake, the raised seabed enabled Napier's residential suburbs to spread slowly south towards Taradale and Greenmeadows as swamps were reclaimed.

And recent upgrading of Taradale's Town Centre is bringing it into the 21st century, as $3.5 million in council funds has been committed to undertake a renovation including garden streetscape and enhanced pedestrian linkages to slow traffic and improve customer access.

A revised parking plan forms part of the overall strategy as does further integration with public green space and services such as the library.

Homes in the elevated hill areas to the west of the town centre have views of Hawke's Bay, Cape Kidnappers and the Heretaunga plains.

Some of its most illustrious years were spent under the leadership of pioneer winemaker Tom McDonald, now widely acknowledged as the father of New Zealand's premium red wine industry.

The winery buildings now include a restaurant, and a wine museum, housed underground, traces the history and techniques of winemaking.

The 1931 earthquake damaged the house extensively, forcing the Smiths to move out for two years while it was repaired at the cost of £1764 (GB pounds).

Soon after the fire, new owners bought the lodge, renovated it to its former glory, and engaged the services of the son of the original builder to construct the elegant ballroom, which is now the venue for weddings, conferences and other functions.

[19] The upgrade of $1.7 million provided a light and spacious building that caters for the information, educational and recreational needs of all age groups.

The new-look library makes the most of its setting in White Street, with comfortable seating and extensive windows that take advantage of views of Centennial and Taradale parks.

The negotiations that followed saw the transfer of the land to Napier City to be developed as a recreation reserve for the rapidly expanding urban area of Taradale-Greenmeadows.

The park's name commemorates Tareha Te Moananui, a Māori tribal leader and member of Parliament who lived nearby at Waiohiki.

In the 1920s it was site of moonlight picnics particularly popular with younger people, and in the 1930s motorbike races were held in Taradale each Easter, with the hill-climb section taking the riders up the steep slopes of Sugar Loaf.

Church Road Winery winemaker Tom McDonald recalled 'seeing the top of the hill rise up in the air and fall down again an estimated seven feet'.

Providing an insight into the area's Māori history, the original Ōtātara and Hikurangi pā sites are encompassed in the 33-hectare historical reserve formed in 1973.

Ngāti Pārau of Waiohiki, kaitiaki (caretakers) of Ōtātara, have partnered with the Department of Conservation in developing and managing the reserve.

Māori occupied the knoll as long ago as the late 15th century, and it was here that Ngāti Kahungunu gained a foothold in Heretaunga and spread to become the dominant iwi in Hawke's Bay and the Wairarapa.

The remains of house terraces and food pits can be seen, and restoration work has included tree planting, palisades and pouwhenua, the carved posts symbolising the relationship between Māori iwi and hapu and the land.

The reserve covers 18 hectares of flat land and hill terrain and a walk to the top gives extensive views over Hawke's Bay from Mahia to Cape Kidnappers.

After the stand was demolished, the rubble was consolidated and grassed over, rather than being removed, now forming a low mound on the southern side of the park.

The land could have become a residential subdivision, but was acquired as a pleasure ground in 1962 by Napier City Council and has been developed into the fine open space it is today.

A passive recreation area, the western extension – Centennial Park – is treed and includes a rose garden and water features.

Taradale has several schools, with decile ratings between 7 and 10: The expanding Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) provides a broad range of diploma and degree qualifications.