We all have a role to play to ensure a strong tourism sector, writes Walt Dickson.
On your bike
What do you do when Covid 19 restrictions lose a key part of your customer base? For Martinborough’s Green Jersey Cycle Tours, the answer is – pivot and offer something new to locals.
Wings ready for take off
Irrespective of when international visitors are free to return to New Zealand we should all be able to experience the 2021 Wings Over Wairarapa Air Festival at the Hood Aerodrome in Masterton.
2020 Pūkaha Wairarapa Garden Tour, 7 and 8 November
This year celebrates a significant 10th anniversary milestone for this much-loved annual fundraising tour.
A breath of fresh air
Overseas travel may be on hold for now, but there’s plenty to see and do here. Let’s take a moment to think about all the drawcards of our region…
Tinui takes centre stage
Simon Burt takes a hike up Mount Maunsell (Tinui Taipo) and finds there’s plenty going on in the tiny hamlet of Tinui.
All aboard the QE Park express
Weekend visitors to Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park will be familiar with a distant high-pitch whistle, often followed by a sudden patter of little feet.
On the right trek
You know you are in a job you love, when you still do it on your time off – and that’s the case for banker turned horse trek leader, Charlotte McDonald.
Under the autumn sky
Take time to enjoy our spectacular night sky.
Catching a break
The Wairarapa’s coastline is wild and beautiful. For decades its prized surf breaks, stretching from Lake Ferry in the south to Castlepoint in the north, have served local surfers well and attracted others from afar. Whether in search of reef, point or beach breaks, those that surf here also find adventure, freedom and friendship. By Katie Farman. Photos by Esther Bunning and Charlotte Hedley.
House on a hill
When Ponatahi farmers Mark and Susannah Guscott decided to diversify into the visitor accommodation business, they had a 800 hectare blank canvas on which to build. But the location for their new luxury retreat really picked itself, as the stunning views testify.
At Akitio
Toeing the northern boundary of Wairarapa, a picturesque, driftwood-dotted stretch of sand and history, Akitio rejoices in its isolation.
Journey to the centre of New Zealand
New Zealand has a new geographic centre, and it’s not far from Greytown. David Hancock pulls on his hiking boots and takes us on a guided walk there.
Seeing things differently
Rongo te mauri is Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre’s motto, meaning ‘feel life’s essence’. It’s also an instruction to all of us on Te Hīkoi o Pūkaha, a new two-hour cultural tour of the wildlife centre. By Katherine Robinson. Photos by Sarah Watkins.
Where trees are the hero
Many gardens are modelled around one or two specimen trees, and as such are treated as the ‘hero’ in the same way a chef would create a dish around a prized ingredient. Masterton’s Queen Elizabeth Park has 20 hectares of hero trees in what is one of the best arboretum in New Zealand for a comparable sized town.
A home fit for wētā
Insects are, without doubt, one of the most important components of our ecosystem and the wētā is our most distinctive, striking horror and fascination in children and adults alike.
Part of the Pūkaha family
Taking out annual membership of Pūkaha – as an individual, family or business – not only supports an excellent cause, but as one family discovered, has invaluable benefits.
Cool Cruising
There’s a whole new way to get around Martinborough – on board an electric-powered Storm Cruiser.
Forest giants close to home
New Zealand has a new geographic centre, and it’s not far from Greytown. David Hancock pulls on his hiking boots and takes us on a guided walk there.