Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

If you can drag your eyes away from the rather treacherous road across the Rimutaka Range between Wellington and the Wairarapa, the rocky heights offer some amazing views down onto the farmland and vineyard country below. Alternatively, the long 250-step climb up the Cape Palliser Lighthouse will reward you with breathtaking views of the South Island.

Arts and culture

The Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art & History (www.aratoi.org.nz) in Masterton chronicles the Wairarapa’s multicultural and artistic heritage. In nearby Greytown, the Cobblestones Village Museum (www.cobblestonesmuseum.org.nz) takes a quaint-meets-kitsch approach to recreating the early settler days.

Something for nothing

Not far from Masterton, the Tararua Forest Park (www.doc.govt.nz) offers a change of pace from the area’s more urban trappings. Take a hike through the trees, consider a dip in a chilly sub-alpine creek and track down a ranger for some free insider advice on spotting bird, animal and insect life.

Shopping

The bigger Wairarapa wineries can arrange shipping, so you can enjoy a case of pinots when you get home. Got that I-need-chocolate itch? Scratch it inside a 1920s cottage in Greytown, where creative Schoc Chocolate (www.chocolatetherapy.com) turns out trays of glorious cocoa creations with mind-boggling flavours.

Daytripper

Take a drive out to the fabulously remote Castlepoint, around 70 kilometres east of Masterton on the coast. It’s a long-lost-and-lonesome kinda place, with swimming spots, walking trails, caves, a wind-battered lighthouse and the craggy 162-metre-high Castle Rock looming over the coastline. Look out for fossil shells in the rocks.

Best beach

The beaches along Palliser Bay to the south-west of the Wairarapa have the most reliable breaks in the region (most of the dudes out in the waves are Wellington city-slickers). And even if the surf’s not happening, you’ll have kilometres of empty black-sand coast to yourself.

Perfect picnic

Head for the shores of Lake Wairarapa (Glistening Waters in Maori), which gave the area its name. Pick up something delicious to drink at one of Martinborough’s many vineyards and try the French Baker (06 304 8873) in Greytown for breads, pastries and treats.

Walks

Take in the dramatic eroded-rock Putangirua Pinnacles on the Wairarapa coast, with a choice of two- to three-hour walks and views of streams, hills and sea. The Pinnacles Track is in the Aorangi Forest Park, 13 kilometres along Cape Palliser Road from the Lake Ferry turn-off (for track details see www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation).

Children

All that wine tasting can be a bit of a snooze for the kids. If they need to blow off steam, take them to Queen Elizabeth Park in Masterton, which has playgrounds, aviaries, a duck pond and plenty of lawn to muck about on. Further afield, Cape Palliser’s stinky seal colony, the North Island’s largest breeding site, will also be a hit with children.

Activities

With around 50 producers in the Wairarapa, wine tasting is the name of the local game. Many companies offer tours through the grape-heavy landscape, departing from either Wellington or the region’s main towns. Try Martinborough Wine Tours (www.martinboroughwinetours.co.nz) for a boutique wine experience, Zest Food Tours (www.zestfoodtours.co.nz) for a gourmet take on the area or Hammond’s Scenic Tours (www.wellington sightseeingtours.com) for a tour of Cape Palliser and Martinborough.

And

You can sample a huge range of local wine varieties with free tastings at the Martinborough Wine Centre (www.martinboroughwinecentre.co.nz), which also has a great café out the back.