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41.22°S · 175.46°E · Wairarapa

Things to do in Martinborough

Martinborough at golden hour

Guests often ask us for recommendations on things to see, do and experience in Martinborough, so we've brought together some of our favourites in one place.

Our restaurants: Karahui and Tōhi.
Our accommodation: The Chambers (The Verdict and The Advocate), Lismore House and Lismore Barn.

These are places and experiences we genuinely recommend. No paid placements, just local favourites we think are worth knowing about. Choose as many or as few as you'd like, and the site will put together a personalised summary to help you make the most of your time in Martinborough.

What's the occasion?

Optional, but it shapes the plan

Find your kind of Martinborough – Great Things To Do

Discover Martinborough and the Wairarapa through our favourite places to explore and unwind. Pick what appeals and build your own shortlist.

Your summary

Everything you've picked, with rough distances and driving times from Martinborough, and how to get in touch. Times are approximate.

Getting here

  • Drive

    About an hour and a bit from Wellington over the Remutaka Hill. Check road conditions before you set off.

  • Train

    The Wairarapa Line runs from Wellington to Featherston, about an hour. From Featherston it's a 20-minute shuttle or taxi to Martinborough, so nobody has to drive after the wine. Metlink train timetable →

  • Fly

    Fly into Wellington, then drive, take the train or book a transfer over the hill.

  • Shuttle transfers
    Wai Shuttles
    Wellington Airport transfers from Martinborough and Featherstonwaishuttles.co.nz
    Green Jersey and Remutaka Shuttles
    Private shuttles, airport pickups and winery transfersgreenjersey.co.nzEmailtours@greenjersey.co.nz
    Claremont Cabs
    Local rides and vineyard runs around towntheclaremont.co.nz
  • Helicopter

    For something special, Wellington Helicopters does charters and transfers from Wellington city or the airport. Ask them about landing in Martinborough. Wellington Helicopters →

Useful links

Plan around an event

Dates are set by the organisers each year. Book stays early; town fills up.

  • January

    Cruise Martinborough 2027. Hot rods, classic and muscle cars take over town for four days, Wednesday to Saturday. Next: 27 to 30 January 2027.

  • February

    Wairarapa Wines Harvest Festival 2027. Wairarapa wineries, restaurants and food producers under the native trees at The Cliffs, Dakins Road, on the Ruamāhanga River. Food, wine and music from 11am. Next: Saturday 20 February 2027.

  • Feb & Mar

    Martinborough Fair 2027. The Rotary craft fair, with 500+ stallholders from around New Zealand around the square, rain or shine. First Saturday of February and March. Next: 6 February and 6 March 2027.

  • April

    Martinborough Skyline Challenge 2027. Ride, run or walk over hill farms that are usually closed to the public, from 3 km for kids up to 28 km, with food and music at the finish. Run by Martinborough Lions for charity. Next: Saturday 17 April 2027.

  • June & July

    New Zealand Festival of Christmas, Greytown 2027. Midwinter Christmas in Greytown: light displays, bonfires, markets, a night walk, snowfall on Main Street and fireworks to finish. 2026 ran 27 June to 25 July; 2027 dates to be announced.

  • August

    Pour & Explore Martinborough 2027. A month-long winter celebration: candle-lit tastings, art installations and food trails. 2027 dates to be announced.

  • September

    Jazz in Martinborough 2027. Swingtime in Springtime: a weekend of jazz at the Town Hall and around town, usually the first weekend of September. 2027 dates to be announced.

  • September

    Martinborough Music Festival 2027. Chamber music over a weekend at the Town Hall. Save the date: 19 to 21 September 2027; programme out around May.

  • October

    Round the Vines 2027. A 10 km or 21 km run or walk through Martinborough vineyards that open to the public only for this day, starting from the square, with live music on the course and food and wine at the prize-giving. Martinborough School's fundraiser; fancy dress welcome. 2026 was 31 October; 2027 date to be announced.

  • Spring

    Wairarapa Garden Tour. Private gardens around Masterton open to visitors each spring, some with refreshments and plant sales. Check the website for the next dates.

  • November

    Toast Martinborough 2026. The big one: wine, food and music across the vineyards, on the third Sunday of November. Next: Sunday 15 November 2026. Tickets go on sale mid-year and sell out, so book your stay the day you get them.

Martinborough Heritage Trail

Māori settled the Wairarapa many hundreds of years before European settlers arrived, and have a rich history in the area. They did not live where Martinborough was built, preferring to site their villages closer to the lakes and rivers, where food and water were plentiful. This heritage trail focuses on historic sites within the town, so it does not include the equally important Māori story; for that, see Explore the wild coast.

Martinborough village has always been small, and for most of its life was a rural service town. The modest architecture reflects this history. As times changed, many of the older commercial buildings changed their purpose, and many became cafés and bars. The courthouse is now the Men's Shed, the electricity plant is a small-bore rifle club, and the old council building houses a dentist. Gone are institutions like the banks, and the businesses built around the horses that were the mainstay of transport in the early days. We hope the trail gives you a sense of a very different past.

The trail covers 39 sites and takes one to two hours on foot. Pick up a copy of the Heritage Trail map from the museum, Green Jersey, Pain & Kershaw, or the Martinborough i-SITE on the square (corner of Cork and Texas Streets), or download it here.

Read the full guide as text

Where to stay in Martinborough

Restaurants in Martinborough

  • Karahui, restaurant in Martinborough: Modern Kiwi dining · dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Modern Kiwi dining, a standout wine list showcasing Martinborough's best, and the town's widest selection of local wines. Explore Te Muna Road with a wine tasting flight, settle in for dinner, or book the private vault or semi-private dining room for a group.
  • Tōhi, gin bar and Thai food in Martinborough: Gin tasting room, Thai and Asian food · lunch Thursday to Sunday. Martinborough's gin tasting room, showcasing 40+ New Zealand gins (one of the largest selections in the North Island), alongside great Thai and Asian food and some of the best cocktails in town. Good drinks, great food and a relaxed vibe. Lunch Thursday to Sunday, with takeaway available too.

Things to do in Martinborough

Getting around: bike hire, e-bikes, taxis and shuttles in Martinborough

Martinborough is flat and compact, so the easiest way to explore is on two wheels, or three, or four. Green Jersey on Kitchener Street hires everything from wine bikes and e-bikes to tandems, rickshaws and multi-seat Croc bikes, and runs shuttles for winery transfers and trail drop-offs. Indi Bikes, next to Little Square Pizza, hires pedal quad bikes and trikes for up to six. E-Rides Martinborough has seated e-scooters for three to six hours. For door-to-door rides around town, vineyard runs and airport or train transfers, call Claremont Cabs, seven days.

Distance: In town. Allow: As long as you like.

Tour the vineyards: Martinborough wineries, vineyards and wine tours

Martinborough has 30-plus vineyards with cellar doors, all within easy cycling distance of the square, and route maps are handed over when you pick up your bike. Our favourites: rosé at Schubert, a booked-in tasting at Ata Rangi, Poppies (sparkling and rosé), Moy Hall, and Colombo (love the pizzas).

Distance: As close as 500 m from the square. Getting there: Bikes are the best option: classic bikes, e-bikes or multi-seat pedal bikes from Green Jersey, or let Martinborough Wine Tours do the driving. Allow: Half a day to a full day.

For the wine buff: Martinborough wine tastings and wine tours

Let Martinborough Wine Tours arrange things for you, or contact the vineyards yourself. Some of Martinborough's most sought-after wines come from producers without a cellar door: Devotus and Dry River sell by allocation and aren't open for drop-ins. The way in is Martinborough Wine Walks, which visits wineries not normally open to the public, or a tasting flight at Karahui, where we pour wines from local vineyards that have no cellar door. Book a guided tasting at Ata Rangi, or spend the day with Wineinsights, a private tour led by a WSET-qualified guide.

Distance: All within a 5-minute drive around town. Allow: Half a day to a full day.

For the gin buff: gin tasting in Martinborough

Start at Tōhi on the square, Martinborough's gin tasting room, with 40+ New Zealand gins (one of the largest selections in the North Island) and gin and whisky flights. Lighthouse Gin is distilled at The Runholder on Martins Road: book the 45-minute distillery tour and tasting. Don't forget the Dr Beak Gin tasting room on Princess Street, open Saturdays 11am to 4pm and weekdays by appointment. Reid + Reid on Todds Road makes a native gin with kawakawa, mānuka and horopito, and opens Saturdays 1pm to 4pm.

Distance: In town; The Runholder and Reid + Reid about 2 km out. Getting there: Walk, bike or take a designated driver. Allow: An hour per stop.

Cocktail hour: bars and cocktails in Martinborough

Tōhi mixes some of the best cocktails in town, alongside its gin flights and Thai and Asian food (Thursday to Sunday). Karahui is the place for a pre-dinner drink before you sit down. Mesita on Ohio Street is a Mexican-inspired wine bar with live music and outdoor seating, and Cool Change on the square does food and drinks into the evening.

Distance: All in town, within walking distance. Allow: An evening.

Hop to it!: Martinborough Brewery

Discover another side of Martinborough at Martinborough Brewery on Ohio Street, which won six medals at the 2026 NZ Beer Awards: two Gold, two Silver and two Bronze. That's alongside Hop Elixir's place in the 2023 New World Beer & Cider Awards Top 30. Settle into the taproom with a tasting paddle and something to eat, and find your favourite local brew to enjoy outside in the sunshine. Open daily from 2pm Monday to Thursday, and from midday Friday to Sunday.

Distance: In town, Ohio Street. Allow: An hour or two.

Gastro tour: Martinborough cafés, food and local produce

Start with coffee at Kitchener's or The Neighbourhood, which has a roastery round the back, then stock up: jams and conserves from the grocer, hard-to-find bottles from Martinborough Wine Merchants, and olive oil from Dali or Blue Earth. Baguettes and dark sourdough come from The Martinborough Bakery. And for dinner, visitor reviews place our own Karahui among Martinborough's top dining destinations; ask for the tasting flight of wines from vineyards with no cellar door.

Distance: In and around town. Allow: A day.

Pizza worth the drive: best pizza in Martinborough and the Wairarapa

In town, Roving Pizza at Nga Waka is a local favourite at weekends, followed by Colombo and Circus. For the full pizza experience, head out to Mt Holdsworth Pizza near Carterton: Friday nights only, 5pm to 8pm, in a beautiful rural setting. Order your bases in advance, it's the best pizza experience ever. Make a night of it with a wood-fired sauna and river plunge at The Sauna Project just up the road (16+, book online).

Distance: In town; Mt Holdsworth about 50 km. Allow: An evening; Mt Holdsworth is Friday nights only.

Chocolate trail: Wairarapa chocolate makers

For a little chocolate indulgence, start with Schoc Chocolates in Greytown. Their artisan chocolate studio is well worth a visit, with the chance to taste an extraordinary range of handcrafted chocolates: with more than 50 flavours to explore, from classic favourites to adventurous combinations, it's a lovely stop for anyone with a sweet tooth (10am to 4pm daily). Closer to home, seek out Be Happy Chocolate, an award-winning chocolate maker based right here in Martinborough. Made in small batches using organic, ethically sourced Peruvian cacao, their stone-ground chocolates are dairy-free and cane sugar-free, with a delicious range of dark, milk-style and inventive flavoured bars. Look for them in local stores including Martinborough Wine Merchants and Pain & Kershaw. Another one to discover is Lucid Chocolatier, made on a farm in coastal Wairarapa and a Supreme Champion at the New Zealand Chocolate Awards. Using Peruvian cacao, Lucid creates distinctive bean-to-bar chocolate in small batches, from beautifully pure single-origin dark chocolate to more adventurous flavours and infusions. Look out for their bars in town, a lovely local find to take home.

Distance: In town; Greytown 18 km. Allow: An hour or two.

From Hive To Honey: Greytown honey and beekeeping tours

Suit up for a closer look at the busy world of bees with Greytown Honey at The Honey Stables in Tauherenīkau, about 20 minutes away. Learn from the beekeepers on a 75-minute experience: open the hives, find the queen, then finish with a full honey tasting and discover what goes into every jar. Tours run Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 10.30am; book ahead and wear closed shoes, long pants and sleeves. There's more than honey to discover: Greytown Flower Farm, on the same site, bursts into colour with dahlias from January to April. Book a pick-your-own session, enjoy the blooms and take home a bunch you've picked yourself.

Distance: Tauherenīkau, about 20 min. Allow: About 2 hours.

Art of the Olive Press: Martinborough olive oil tastings

Olivo is right here in Martinborough on Oxford Street and is known for its flavoured oils; call or email before you visit. Blue Earth Estate, 15 minutes out on White Rock Road, runs one-hour tours of its olive grove and vineyard with a tasting of oils and wines (bookings essential). Lot Eight, on Lake Ferry Road just out of town, has to be one of Martinborough's top olive oils; ring ahead to visit the tasting room. Dali, grown organically just outside Martinborough, won gold and World's Best Olive Oil at the 2025 New York International Olive Oil Competition, and is known for its high-polyphenol oils. Check each website for opening times and availability.

Distance: 10 to 20 minutes from town. Allow: About an hour per stop.

Gardens worth a wander: Wairarapa gardens to visit

Rototāwai near Kahutara has eight hectares of low-water gardens around a restored homestead, with self-guided walks; book ahead. Longbush Cottage near Masterton is a modern cottage garden rated four-star by the NZ Garden Trust, with a little shop (Wednesday to Monday, bookings essential). In Featherston, Fernside is a historic 12-acre Arts and Crafts estate with garden rooms, a lake and woodland, open for guided garden walks through summer; book ahead. Ranui Essentials on Dry River Road is a lavender farm and distillery making lavender gin, vodka and liqueur, with pick-your-own lavender and lavender ice cream in summer (weekends 10am to 3pm, daily in January). Martinborough Manor runs flower farm tours, pick-your-own days and growing workshops by appointment, and Gravel Road Farmyard grows seasonal bouquets you can order. Lavender Abbey near Carterton has pick-your-own at the height of the season, and in February the Ruamāhanga Sunflower Fest lets you pick your own sunflowers just out of town.

Distance: Rototāwai 15 min; Featherston 18 km; Longbush 45 min. Allow: An hour or two per stop; best December to February.

Soak, steam & slow down: spa, massage and yoga in Martinborough

Take a little time for yourself with a sauna, massage, yoga session or beauty treatment. From Māori healing and bodywork to a relaxing escape for two, these are our picks for slowing down and feeling good. Brackenridge on White Rock Road has a day spa open to visitors seven days, with massage, facials and body treatments. Love & Core on Lake Ferry Road does yoga, Pilates and massage, including hot stone. Pure Massage on Jellicoe Street does Thai, deep tissue, hot stone and couples massage, and Beauty Studio Martinborough on Kitchener Street does facials, massage, nails, brows and lashes. Two Hands in Featherston offers traditional Māori healing, mirimiri and romiromi. Further afield, The Sauna Project runs wood-fired sauna sessions with a cold river plunge at Mount Holdsworth (16+). At Turret House, on the corner of Oxford and Suez Streets, Gail's salon and spa has a wet room for massage and scrubs, beauty treatments and pampering days for groups. And for hair, try Coop Salon, Le Coiffeur Hair Boutique or Turret House.

Distance: In town; Mount Holdsworth about 55 km. Allow: An hour to an afternoon.

Stuff for kids: things to do with kids in Martinborough

In town there's the pump track for bikes and scooters, a basketball court and the playground, plus Italian ice cream at Sweet Spot, pick and mix at the Martinborough sweet shop, and chicken and chips from The Batch. Circus Cinema on Jellicoe Street is also a favourite, and it does dinner too. The town pool on Princess Street is free in summer (28 November to 7 March). Further afield, kids love Wellington Rafting (gentle floats from age 4, white water from 10), and the Donnelly Flat loop at Mt Holdsworth is an easy hour's walk that DOC rates as great for kids. Kahutara Taxidermy & Canoes near Featherston has the museum and freedom canoe trips on the Ruamāhanga River, with everything provided (¾ hour to 5 hours, by appointment).

Play a round: Martinborough Golf Club

Martinborough Golf Club is a beautiful 18-hole country golf club beside the vineyards, a few minutes from town. Club, trundler and golf cart hire are available; carts are booked through the office. Book a tee time online or by phone, and check in at the office when you arrive. Further afield, try Carterton Golf Club (18 holes), The Gobbler, a 9-hole private course at Glenside Station near Gladstone (bookings essential), or Masterton Golf Club, home to one of our favourite cafés, Brown Butter, for delectable fresh-baked pastries and great coffee. And for the craziest game of golf you will likely ever play, take your clubs down the coast to Ngawi Hitaround Golf Links, nine holes mown into the beachside grass at Cape Palliser.

Distance: 3 km. Getting there: 5 min. Allow: Half a day, or a full day if you play as badly as I do.

On your bike!: Wairarapa cycle trails and mountain biking

See the Wairarapa on two wheels, from gentle countryside trails to coastal adventures and mountain-bike rides. Choose an easy outing with the family or make a day of it with a longer, more challenging route. The Five Towns Trail has easy family sections from Featherston to Greytown. The Remutaka Rail Trail climbs gently to the summit through old railway tunnels, and is part of the Remutaka Cycle Trail, one of New Zealand's Great Rides: ride a section in a day, or the whole thing over 2 to 3 days. Rāhui Coastal runs e-bike adventures on the coast near Castlepoint, and Rivenrock near Masterton is a purpose-built mountain bike park with an uplift shuttle. Closer to home, Daisybank Farm on Dry River Road has three farm mountain-bike loops of about 7, 9 and 10.5 km; book online before you go. Green Jersey in Martinborough hires mountain bikes and e-bikes.

Distance: Farm loops near town; trails from Featherston 18 km. Allow: 2 to 4 hours; a full day or more for the bigger trails.

Patuna Chasm: Patuna Chasm walk

Patuna Farm Adventures runs the Chasm walk on its working farm about 20 minutes from town. It takes around 3 hours: a trailer ride, native bush, then wading up a limestone chasm, sometimes waist deep, so wear clothes and shoes that can get soaked. It runs from about Labour Weekend to Easter, bookings are essential, and it isn't suitable for children under 6.

Distance: 18 km. Getting there: 20 min. Allow: About 4 hours.

Walk the trails: walks in Martinborough

Short walks close to town. The Rapaki Walk is a 1 to 2 hour farm loop with vineyard views (closed for lambing in September and October), and the Palliser Vineyard Walk is a 50-minute loop from Considine Park. The Marty Mural Trail takes you round the street art in the village. For a family day out, walk part of the Remutaka Rail Trail from Cross Creek near Featherston: an easy, gentle grade on the old railway line, with tunnels to explore (bring a torch). For something bigger, the Tora Coastal Walk and Kawakawa Station near Cape Palliser are guided three-day coastal walks with catered food and lodges. Or join a guided wine walk with Martinborough Wine Merchants.

Distance: In town or just outside. Getting there: none, or 5 min. Allow: 1 to 2 hours.

Explore the wild coast: Cape Palliser, Ngawi and the South Wairarapa coast

Cape Palliser is the southern tip of the North Island, about an hour's drive away. On the way: the Pūtangirua Pinnacles (2 to 4 hours return on the DOC track; check DOC for track status and skip it after heavy rain), Ngawi, where tractors launch the fishing boats off the beach, the North Island's largest fur seal colony, and the 1897 lighthouse at the top of about 250 steps. Just past Ngawi, look out for Ngā Rā o Kupe, Kupe's Sails, a great triangular rock face named for the explorer Kupe. Keep well back from the seals. For lunch, or a place to stay, try Waimeha Camping Village near Ngawi: great food from the bar and grill (try JP's famous chowder), plus cabins and powered and unpowered sites. There's great surfing too (Windies at Ngawi and the beach break by Kawakawa Station suit most levels), and some of the best diving for kai moana, crayfish and pāua: check the rules in Hunting and fishing first. Rather not drive? Kaewa Tours and Martinborough Wine Tours both run guided coast days. Long before the vineyards, this was Māori land. Palliser Bay was settled in the late 1300s, and the coast is tied to the explorer Kupe: Cape Palliser is Mātakitaki-a-Kupe, "the gazing of Kupe". Rangitāne and Ngāti Kahungunu are the iwi of the Wairarapa, and Pāpāwai near Greytown hosted the Kotahitanga Māori parliament in the 1890s. To hear the stories first-hand, join Rangitāne on Te Hīkoi o Pūkaha, a guided walk at Pūkaha with stories, traditional instruments and kawakawa tea.

Distance: 70 km to Cape Palliser. Getting there: 1 hr 15 min. Allow: Full day, 6 to 8 hours.

Hunting and fishing: fishing, diving and hunting in the Wairarapa

Fish off the rocks and beaches, dive for pāua and catch crayfish along the South Wairarapa coast. No licence is needed, but rules and limits change often, so check the NZ Fishing Rules app or MPI's Central area rules every time before you go. Scuba gear isn't allowed while gathering pāua. On land, Iraia Guided Hunts on a Martinborough property runs roar, trophy and meat hunts for red and fallow deer and Arapawa rams, as day hunts or with a stay on site; book roar and trophy places well ahead. To hunt public conservation land in the Aorangi and Tararua Forest Parks you'll need a DOC hunting permit.

Distance: 45 to 70 km to the coast; hunting closer to town. Getting there: 50 min to 1 hr 15 min. Allow: Full day.

Get hands-on: workshops and classes in Martinborough

The Foundry runs private tastings with wine and olive producers, cooking classes and artisanal classes. Contact them here. In addition, Ventana Art Space on Kitchener Street runs small-group workshops such as watercolour, clay, flower crowns and kintsugi, and The Social Scent Company runs candle and wreath making at its garden studio. Both are by booking only and can come to your accommodation for a travel fee.

Distance: In town, or at your accommodation. Getting there: none. Allow: 2 to 3 hours.

Hit the open road: Wairarapa motorbike rides

The Featherston, Martinborough, Lake Ferry and Gladstone loop is the Wairarapa's favourite ride: about 170 km and 2 hours, with twisty sections towards Lake Ferry. Add the coast road past Ngawi to the Cape Palliser lighthouse for about 2 more hours; the last stretch is gravel. Fill up before the coast, and watch for farm vehicles and mud on the road.

Distance: 170 km loop. Getting there: 2 hours riding. Allow: Half day; 4 to 5 hours with Cape Palliser.

Reach for the stars: stargazing in the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve

The Wairarapa is an International Dark Sky Reserve, so on a clear night you can see a lot from almost anywhere outside town. Star Safari near Carterton is amazing: 90-minute guided sessions with 16-inch telescopes, moving indoors with VR if it's cloudy, and under-16s go free. Or Under The Stars brings telescopes to your accommodation for a private session. At Stonehenge Aotearoa near Carterton, a working stone circle in the Dark Sky Reserve, take a guided tour of astronomy and Māori starlore, or book a sunset or evening tour. It's best around the new moon; book ahead.

Distance: At your accommodation. Getting there: none. Allow: 1 to 1.5 hours after dark.

Take your best shot: clay pigeon shooting near Martinborough

Clay pigeon shooting on the farm at Patuna Farm Adventures, about 20 minutes from town. Good fun for groups, including hens and stags. Book ahead.

Distance: 18 km. Getting there: 20 min. Allow: 2 to 3 hours.

Saddle up: horse riding and horse treks in the Wairarapa

Horse riding on the farm at Patuna Farm Adventures, about 20 minutes from town. Book ahead and let them know everyone's riding experience. Heavenly Horse Treks rides out across Riversdale Station, a 10,500-acre coastal hill-country farm in South Wairarapa, with one, two and three hour treks, half and full days, and overnight multi-day treks with accommodation, for every level of rider. Gladstone Horse Treks offers guided rides across a 1,000-acre sheep and beef farm near Gladstone, from easy beginner rides to fast, steep rides for experienced riders, in small groups of up to five.

Distance: Patuna 18 km; Riversdale Station on the coast. Allow: 1 to 3 hours, a full day, or overnight.

Art and galleries: Martinborough art galleries

Our pick has to be Rototāwai Gallery & Gardens, a beautifully restored historic homestead about 15 minutes from Martinborough, home to Anna Bidwill's collection of significant New Zealand art, a contemporary exhibition gallery and extensive gardens. It's out-the-gate amazing and well worth booking. Back in town, Crystal Chain Gang make bespoke lead-crystal chandeliers and sculptural glass by commission; get in touch to see their work. Nidito Ceramics on Venice Street is amazing: handmade ceramics from a local potter. In Greytown, Red Delicious Gallery at 103a Main Street shows contemporary work by local artists and makers, and Harvest Art Gallery has a collection of Wairarapa art. Further north in Masterton, Aratoi has rotating exhibitions of contemporary art, local artists and Wairarapa history, and ConArt Gallery & Studios next door has original work by local artists and makers.

Distance: Rototāwai 15 min; Greytown 18 km; Masterton 38 km. Allow: Half a day to a full day.

A little village retail therapy: shopping in Martinborough

Take a wander around the village and discover independent shops filled with beautiful homewares, books, fashion and thoughtful gifts. These are our favourite places to browse, treat yourself and find something special to take home. Roam on the square for homewares, gifts and fashion. Peonies Home & Living on Jellicoe Street for chalk paint, outdoor furniture and fragrance, with its sister shop Peonies of Martinborough on Kitchener Street for fashion. 17 Blonde for New Zealand-made women's clothing. RUME on Kitchener Street for furniture, art, lighting and linen. The General Store at P&K on the square for clothing, footwear and homeware. The Martinborough Bookshop on Kitchener Street was named Bookshop of the Year at the 2025 NZ Book Industry Awards. And Thunderpants makes its famous underwear right here in Martinborough; shop online.

Distance: In the village, all walkable. Allow: An hour or two.

Museums & Local History: Wairarapa museums and local history

Explore the Wairarapa's museums, from remarkable railway collections to village life in days gone by. Great for rainy days, or any day you feel like discovering the people and stories behind the places you visit. Start right on the square at the Martinborough Museum, a great little museum celebrating the history and stories of Martinborough and its early settlers (weekends and public holidays, 10.30am to 2.30pm; koha). Kahutara Taxidermy Museum is an unusual and fascinating rural collection of taxidermy, a short drive away. In Featherston, the Featherston Heritage Museum tells the town's story, including its important military and railway heritage, and the Fell Locomotive Museum is home to the world's last surviving Fell locomotive (weekends 10am to 4pm). Step back in time at Cobblestones Museum in Greytown, a heritage village of historic buildings, cottages and displays of early settler life, and the Carterton Railway Museum has a small collection celebrating Carterton's railway history (most Sundays; check first).

Distance: On the square; Featherston and Greytown 18 km; Carterton 30 km. Allow: About an hour per museum.

Back to nature: Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre

Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre is a native forest sanctuary on SH2 north of Masterton. See kiwi, kākā, kōkako, takahē and tuatara, catch the daily kākā and eel feeds, and walk through the free-flight aviary. Open 7 days, 9am to 5pm, with a café; guided day and night tours need booking 24 hours ahead.

Distance: 70 km. Getting there: 1 hr 5 min. Allow: Most of a day, 5 to 6 hours.

Take to the skies: scenic flights, gliding and flying lessons in the Wairarapa

Legend Aviation flies scenic flights over the Wairarapa from Hood Aerodrome in Masterton, in a 1940 Tiger Moth open-cockpit biplane or a Harvard warbird. Flights take one passenger and run 15 to 45 minutes. There are no set hours, so enquire or phone ahead to book. Fancy getting your own wings? The Wellington Wairarapa Gliding Club runs taster glider flights from the Greytown Soaring Centre at Papawai (14+, allow about 3 hours), and the Wairarapa Aero Club at Hood Aerodrome does trial flights in a light aircraft where you take the controls alongside an instructor.

Distance: Hood Aerodrome 42 km; Papawai gliding 20 km. Allow: About 2.5 to 3 hours.

Head to Lake Ferry: Lake Ferry

Lake Ferry is a small village about 30 minutes from Martinborough, where Lake Ōnoke meets Palliser Bay. Stop on the way at The Land Girl in Pirinoa, a café in an 1880s blacksmith's shop with a cute store, great coffee and farm animals for the kids (Thursday to Monday, 8.30am to 3pm). Fish from the shore, look across to the South Island on a clear day, and stay for the sunset. The Lake Ferry Hotel has hands down the best fish and chips, with lunch every day and dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.

Distance: 33 km. Getting there: 30 min. Allow: Half day, 3 to 4 hours.

Campers and Nomads: camping and campervan sites in Martinborough and the Wairarapa

In and near town: Martinborough TOP 10 Holiday Park on Vintners Lane, 2 minutes away, has tents, powered sites, cabins and an apartment, with a kitchen, laundry, dump station and bike hire; book online. Lake Ferry Holiday Park, about 35 minutes, has tents, powered and unpowered sites and cabins, with showers, a kitchen and a dump station. Gateway Motel Holiday Park on Lake Ferry Road, about 30 minutes, has powered sites, cabins and motel units. On the coast: Waimeha Camping Village at Ngawi, about 1 hour 10 minutes, has powered and unpowered sites, cabins, container units and the bar and grill. The DOC campsite at Pūtangirua Pinnacles (58 km) has about 50 sites and campervans are fine; you must book online, $10 adult or $5 child, and the tap water isn't drinkable. Corner Creek (DOC) on Palliser Bay has about 25 sites, but there are two stream crossings and DOC says you often need a 4WD, so it's not for low campervans. Ngawi Reserve and Ngawi Surf Breaks are the council's coastal spots for certified self-contained vehicles, with a dump station opposite.

Distance: From 2 min in town to 1 hr 10 min at Ngawi. Allow: A night or more.

Hit the beach: Castlepoint beach

Castlepoint is a beach and DOC scenic reserve on the east coast, with a lighthouse, a sheltered lagoon and Castle Rock. The lighthouse walk is easy, about 30 minutes return; the Deliverance Cove Track up Castle Rock is longer and steeper. Stay off the reef and back from the cliff edges, and fill up with fuel before you go.

Distance: 110 km. Getting there: 1 hr 40 min. Allow: Full day, 7 to 8 hours.

A family day in Masterton: things to do in Masterton with kids

Masterton is the largest of the five towns that make up the Wairarapa, and a vibrant, family-friendly place. Queen Elizabeth Park is perfect for the whole family, with one of the best children's playgrounds in New Zealand, a flying fox, 18-hole mini golf, bike hire, a skate park and BMX track, a swing bridge over to the deer park, and ducks to feed on the lake. At weekends, add the miniature train and the rowboats and pedal boats (daily in the school holidays). Then enjoy lunch at the Gladstone Inn, where the kids can hang out in the garden (Wednesday to Sunday).

Distance: Masterton about 40 km. Allow: A full day.

Day trip to Featherston: day trip to Featherston

Go on a Saturday morning for the farmers market on Fitzherbert Street (8am to 1.30pm), pick up a loaf of white sourdough from The Baker, and fill a bag at C'est Cheese, then pop next door to Mr Feather's Den, run by the same family, for books, art, oddities and taxidermy. Featherston is New Zealand's official Booktown, with eight bookshops to browse, and the Fell Locomotive Museum opens weekends. Just north of town, the Featherston Camp memorial garden has 48 cherry trees, one for each Japanese prisoner of war killed there in 1943.

Distance: 18 km. Getting there: 20 min. Allow: Half day, 3 to 4 hours; Saturday morning for the market.

Day trip to Greytown: day trip to Greytown

Greytown's Victorian main street is made for a wander: thrift shops and antiques galore, boutiques, and Mrs Blackwell's Village Bookshop. For lunch, try The French Baker or The Offering. Our favourite stop for fresh-baked treats and great coffee is Stable on Kuratawhiti Street (weekends 8.30am to 12.30pm, spring through to King's Birthday). Pick up handmade chocolate at Schoc, taste small-batch gin at Greytown Distilling Company (Fridays, Saturdays and holidays), and let the kids loose at The Lolly Jar. Just a few minutes' drive north, The Clareville Bakery is famous for its award-winning pies (Monday to Saturday). For a fun wine tasting, try the paddle at Alexia, Greytown's urban winery on West Street (Saturdays, through summer). And the stunning Urlar organic winery is worth the drive for lunch, about 25 minutes along country roads (Thursday to Sunday; book a table).

Distance: 18 km. Getting there: 20 min. Allow: Half a day to a full day with lunch at Urlar.

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