Boutique hotels
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Wharekauhau Lodge & Country Estate
- Style
- Edwardian country grandeur
- Setting
- Palliser Bay-side pastures
Wairarapa Overview
North Island
- Countryside
- Hillside villages, vine-lined plains
- Country Life
- Fine wine, farm charm, fierce surf
Wind through the jaggedy, treeless Rimutaka Range and the two-hour drive from Wellington may feel like more of an adventure than you bargained for; but grip the steering wheel and descend into benevolent villages and vineyards which provide weekend gold.
Named after its lake and translating from Maori as Glistening Waters, it’s in the grape department that the Wairarapa really shines. Pinot noir and a postcard-inspiring village green draw you to Martinborough’s eateries and pubs, while beautifully restored Victorian buildings make boutiquey Greytown beguiling. Featherston and Carterton exude country charm and hardware shops and farm supplies in Masterton exemplify the region’s heritage. Surrender to the laid-back pace of this south-eastern stretch of the North Island and explore world-class wineries and history-steeped towns as unhurriedly as you like.
Wonderfully Wairarapa
Until recent years, Wairarapa life revolved around a woolly triad of sheep, farming and sheep farming, but grape growing has now put the region squarely on the gourmet map – a must for anyone with a taste for cool-climate vino and foodie culture. Wine production volumes are low (many vineyards here are small, family-run operations), but quality is sky-high – a testament to handcrafted produce and a personal approach to oenology. Unlike NZ’s better known wine regions (Marlborough, Hawke’s Bay), the cellar doors here are boutique and personable, sans global hype and in-your-face marketing. See www.winesfrommartinborough.com for more info.
Local Knowledge
- Taxis
- Masterton Taxis (06 378 2555) services the region’s main towns.
- Tipping culture
- It isn’t mandatory, but tip 10 per cent in restaurants and cafés if your service came with a smile. Round taxi fares up to the nearest dollar.
- Siesta and fiesta
- Local shops open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday; many also open from 9am to noon or 5pm on Saturdays. Banks open 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Restaurants serve lunch from noon to 3pm and dinner from 6pm to 9pm; many are closed on Monday and/or Tuesday. Most wineries open from around 10am to 5pm.
- Packing tips
- Leave some room in your luggage for a few bottles of peppery Wairarapa pinot noir; maybe take your cycling shorts – cruising the wineries on two wheels is a low-stress way to go.
- Recommended reads
- For a virtual journey through the Wairarapa landscape, thumb through the gorgeous photography book Wairarapa – A Place Apart by Pete Nikolaison and Michael Wall. For some background on white settlement in the area, check out Early History of the Wairarapa by Charles Bannister. The Wine Atlas of New Zealand by Michael Cooper has the lowdown on the best Wairarapa vintages.
- Cuisine
- The region has plenty of pubs serving trad farmer-style roasts and fry-ups, plus a new breed of gourmet cafés and restaurants offering city-quality epicurean delights. Local cheese, chocolate and olive oil are also a worthy culinary diversion.
- Regional specialities
- The cool-climate Wairarapa, with its gravelly soil, hot summers and dry autumns, has made a name for itself producing pinot noir – but you can also pick up some fab bottles of sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, chardonnay and riesling and, if you hunt around, the odd merlot and rosé.
- Currency
- New Zealand dollar (NZ$).
- Time zone
- GMT + 12.
- Dialling codes
- Country code: +64; Wairarapa region: 06 (drop the 0 if dialling from outside New Zealand).
- Do go/don't go
- Summer in the Wairarapa (December to February) is a beautiful time, with hot, clear days and long, still evenings – but this is also when New Zealanders are on holidays, so things can get a bit hectic. A better bet is to visit during autumn (March to April) when the grapes are being harvested, the kids are back at school and days resonate with post-summer nostalgia.
Don't go home without...
trying to spot an elusive kiwi at the Pukaha Mount Bruce National Wildlife Centre (www.mtbruce.org.nz), 30 kilometres north of Masterton, a sanctuary for native wildlife and birds.
