Wairarapa

Wairarapa – the place Maori named ‘the land of glistening waters’, is one of New Zealand’s best kept secrets.

Find Wairarapa tucked away in the south east corner of the North Island at the foot of the Tararua Mountains, off the beaten track but easily accessible from the cities of Wellington and Palmerston North along State Highway 2 or via direct train or coach links.

Wairarapa is renowned for it’s fabulous wines and at the centre of the self-drive touring route ‘The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail’, it is the perfect place to ‘go slow and savour’. Follow the route through NZ’s best know wine growing regions, from Hawkes Bay in the north through Wairarapa and on to Marlborough at the top of the South Island.  Download a copy of the Trail Guide at www.classicwinetrail.co.nz or pick one up from i-SITE Visitor Centres. The website offers some great itinerary planning and ideas for things to see and do.

Getting to Wairarapa is straightforward - State Highway 2 takes you from central Wellington, over the Rimutaka Hills, and then runs north through the centre of Wairarapa.  Featherston is the first town ‘over the hill’. Visit the unique Fell Engine Museum along with museums dedicated to early settler and World War I and II history. Continue north along State Highway 2 or turn east to explore Lake Wairarapa and Cape Palliser’s rugged coast with its resident native fur seal colony.

Turn off SH2, along SH53, for a scenic twenty minute drive to Martinborough, a popular weekend destination and well known internationally as a premium wine growing area. The Martinborough village has been built on the site of New Zealand’s first sheep station and was established by Irish immigrant John Martin in 1881.  The streets, laid out in the shape of the Union Jack flag, are named after places he visited on his world travels.

Packed with charm, Martinborough features over 30 largely family-owned wineries, most within walking distance of each other.  Take an organised wine tour or hire a bicycle and explore. Call into the Martinborough i-SITE centre for a free vineyard map information and cellar door opening times, as well as information about quad-biking and local walks.  Relax at Martinborough’s art-house cinema ‘Circus’, watch the interactive wine-tasting film ‘Vintner’s Choice’, screened daily.

There’s lots of hotel and cottage accommodation in the village if you’re looking to treat yourself. There are several vineyard restaurants, cafes and delis as well as pub serving food. The Martinborough Village Camping is about a ten minute walk from the village centre and is the best budget option, Ph 06 306 8946, www.martinboroughcamping.com.  Hire a bike from the campground.

Drive along country roads to historic Greytown, in the centre of the region. Settled in 1854, Greytown is New Zealand’s first planned inland town. Its well preserved Victorian main street now houses stylish cafes, boutique shops and galleries. Take in some history at Cobblestones Early Settler’s Museum, watch chocolates handcrafted at the small store near the museum entrance.Stop at the northern end of town to buy locally grown, seasonal fresh fruit and vegetables from roadside sellers. Alongside motel accommodation the town has a campground a few minutes walk from the main street, Ph 06 304 9837.

A fifteen minute drive north of Greytown along SH2 brings you to Carterton. Originally known as Three Mile Bush, Carterton was founded in 1857 to house men working on the road between Greytown and Masterton. Today it is home to Paua World. Access the astronomy centre ‘Stonehenge Aotearoa’ from Carterton, discover ancient civilizations through presentation and a guided tour around the henge stones. Nearby visit several vineyards, eat at a riverside pub. Carterton Holiday Park is five minutes walk from the town centre Ph 06 379 8267.

Drive north from Carterton and turn off SH2 to access some of the stunning walks of the Tararua Ranges. Begin your walk at Mount Holdsworth or cross the spectacular swing bridge at Waiohine Gorge, both half an hour from the highway. Pitch a tent or use the extensive network of Department of Conservation back country huts, call the Wairarapa DOC on 06 370 0700.

Next stop along the highway is Masterton. Wairarapa’s largest town is proud of its rural history and is home to the New Zealand Shear Discovery Centre. The distinctive Wairarapa museum of art and history, Aratoi, houses the unique Rutherford Collection. Enjoy the nearby park, leisure pools and a busy calendar of events.  Mawley Park Campground, Ph 06 378 6454, is five minutes walk from the main street and there’s a good range of budget accommodation around town.

From Masterton drive an hour east from SH2 to the small coastal settlement of Castlepoint, a traditional weekend destination for Wairarapa families. Walk through the scenic reserve or up to the Castlepoint Lighthouse, explore the reef, caves and lagoon.  Castlepoint is popular with surfers and fishermen. The Castlepoint Holiday Park, Ph 06 372 6705 or www.castlepoint.co.nz, sites and a selection of cabins, the town’s small store is also café and petrol station.  There is no public transport to the settlement.

On the northern edge of Wairarapa discover Pukaha Mount Bruce, NZ’s National Wildlife Centre, experience original rainforest on an easy walk, get up close to some of the country’s rare and endangered native species, see kiwi in their native habitat. Not far away stop in at TUI HQ, the home of NZ’s iconic beer, for a tour and tasting. Follow State Highway 2 on for a three hour drive to the popular art-deco town of Napier or turn off to Palmerston North.

Wairarapa is an hour’s drive from Wellington International Airport and inter-island ferry connections. State Highway 2 runs from the city through the centre of the region. Once over the Rimutaka Hills there’s not a traffic light in sight! A daily rail service links Wellington with the Wairarapa towns of Masterton, Carterton, Greytown and Featherston, connecting with local bus services to Martinborough. Trains depart at intervals throughout weekdays with a limited weekend service. Call Metlink for bus and train information on 0800 801 700.

Make your way to Wairarapa using scheduled coach services from Palmerston North.  Car hire is available and many tour operators will arrange a pick up from your accommodation. Tranz Metro operates ‘special event services’ making for easy access to some of Wairarapa’s major annual events.

For more information and a calendar of events visit: www.wairarapanz.com, or call i-SITE centres in Masterton on 06 370 0900 or Martinborough 06 306 5010, seven days a week, year round.