It's the jewel in Hawke's Bay's crown but Te Mata Peak has been scarred.
A 2.4 kilometre walking track has been carved into the hillside on land owned by neighbouring winery Craggy Range.
But the land is also sacred to Maori, with the peak believed to be the face of an ancestral chief.
The iwi, Ngati Kahungunu, are angry they weren't consulted over the building of the track.
"We were just totally in shock, it's been described as scribbles on the landscape of our beautiful whenua." Marei Apatu told 1 NEWS.
When Craggy Range opened in 2003 the site was blessed by the iwi.
"This is of national significance and they were remiss in not having this discussion with the manawhenua."
Craggy Range CEO Mike Wilding said in a statement that the track will blend into the landscape over time.
He says they relied on the Hastings District Council for guidance to get resource consent and this was granted without the need for public consultation.
Te Mata Peak's a popular tourist spot and officially classified as an Outstanding Natural Feature, however the council decided the track would only have a minor affect on the environment.
But it has responded to public pressure by announcing a review of its resource consent process.
The case has caught the attention of the Environmental Defence Society.
It believes the decision was unlawful and is meeting with the iwi to discuss taking legal action.
"I think the land owner, Craggy Range, were a little bit ignorant, particularly with respect to the iwi concerns without consulting them, but the main fault lies with the council because they've issued a resource consent they should not have." Gary Taylor from the EDS told 1 NEWS.
They'll contemplate launching legal action in the new year once they've talked over the options.
The council plans to meet with iwi next month, but for now this scar on the landscape is here to stay.
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