Wairarapa
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Wairarapa just one hour from Wellington is another proud area and one of New Zealand’s acclaimed food and wine destinations. There are forests, rolling hills, wide valleys, a lake (Wairarapa) and also a fairly wild coastline.
Masterton with a population of 20,000 is the chief township, and agricultural centre. You can learn anything and everything there is to know about sheep farming at the Shear discovery New Zealand centre. Every week there is a thriving Farmer’s Market, and an active arts and culture centre at Aratoi. Lying to the east of Masterton there are some excellent swimming and surfing beaches at Riversdale and Castlepoint. Sea fishing is also popular hereabouts.
An English visitor may get a surprise if they travel to Carterton as they signs for Stonehenge ! – no it hasn’t been moved, rather it is a replica at full scale size. It is called Stonehenge Aotearoa and is a great insight into how our ancestors used to live and interact with the land and the stars. Carterton also has Paua World where you can purchase jewellery and other crafted products made from the beautiful paua (abalone) shell.
Along the coastline is Palliser Bay where it is possible to view fur seals and also visit the Cape Palliser Lighthouse. At the small fishing village of Ngawi there is a seal nursery where you can watch the baby seals at play.
There are some great walking tracks in the region, especially through the Tararua Forest, and around Mount Holdworth and the Waiohine Gorge. And if you want a little adventure you could try quad biking or horse trekking.
The Wairarapa’s main claim to fame are the vineyards in and around Martinborough, for here they grow and produce some excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Many of the vineyards are family owned, and are very welcoming.
Indeed the area is "connected" to Hawkes Bay and Marlborough (via the inter-island ferry) in what is described as the New Zealand Classic Wine Trail. These three regions producing something close to 70% of all the country’s wine output. More recently olives are being cultivated in the area and are producing some delightful award winning olive oils.
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