Scrub fire scorches Hawke's Bay's Te Mata Peak

Scorching on Te Mata peak. Photo / Paul Taylor

Emergency services rushed to one of Hawke's Bay's main tourist attractions last night to quell a scrub fire on Te Mata peak.

A New Zealand Fire and Rescue spokesman said three appliances were dispatched to the scene at 9.30pm on Saturday and spent about two hours controlling the scrub fire.

"Appliances from Havelock North and Hastings attended. It seems it was right at the peak and then burned down the eastern face of it."

The cause of the fire was not officially known but reports on local social media pages suggested that people were spotted letting off fireworks shortly before the fire was reported.

Scorching was visible on the peak this morning.

No damage had been reported in Te Mata Peak Park, which includes iconic giant redwoods.

However, Te Mata Park Trust park manager Emma Buttle said the trust board "strongly object" to such acts.

"This is a good opportunity to remind the public that fireworks and fires are prohibited in the park at all times because there is a very high risk of fire, especially with this strong wind we are experiencing.

"We also need to remind people that Te Mata Park is private land and we are very privileged to have access so we need to treat it with respect. It's a timely reminder that fireworks are not permitted in the park and there is a high risk of fire. The grass is quite long at the moment so we just need to be very careful and stay safe."