Top Things to do in Wairarapa
The 10 Best Things to do in Wairarapa, North Island
Lush Wairarapa, in the southeast of New Zealand's North Island, is about an hour from Wellington. Its a scenic train ride past Lake Wairarapa to Palliser Bay and the Aorangi Ranges. Explore the forests with birdsong and babbling creeks as a soundtrack. Bask on sandy shores with fur seals. Visit country fairs, pick cider apple and tour vineyards. Day spas, hot air balloon rides and quirky rural golf courses are other relaxing options. Quad biking and rafting offer more up-tempo diversions.
Restaurants in Wairarapa
1. Poppies Martinborough
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 190 reviews
Poppies Martinborough is the tasting room cellar door for our wines we serve a simple but beautiful vineyard platter for lunch that we believe will enhance our wines
Reviewed By fionah108
Poppy and the staff were most welcoming. Our platter was the perfect lunch to have with our chosen wine
2. Castlepoint Lighthouse
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 179 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip.
Reviewed By Judave - Tauranga, New Zealand
A place that has been on our bucket list for a while an amazing spot, wild and wonderful scenery. Make the most and climb up to the lighthouse, really worthwhile the scenery is amazing from the vantage spots around the lighthouse.
3. Fensham Bush Reserve
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 26 reviews
Reviewed By CycleKerry - Wellington, New Zealand
Terrific walk not far from Carterton. Well done Forest and Bird for maintaining easy to walk tracks wth a fantastic lookout over the Wairarapa.
4. Fell Locomotive Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By TheAngelTree
Small, but very informative museum. Good for anyone interested in social history, not just railway enthusiasts. The guide was welcoming and gave us information we may not have picked up otherwise.
5. Palliser Estate
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 110 reviews
The first Winery you come to on State Highway 53 as you enter Martinborough. Look for the white gates on your left. We offer tastings and sales 7 days a week. In Summer, our Chef prepares beautiful fresh platters and lunch offerings to match with our wines. Enjoy a glass or two and friendly game of Petanque in the sun. -Winery tour $30 per person – 50min to an hour – 5 wines to taste while walking around Palliser’s site. -Barrel tasting $55 per person - 50min to an hour – Pinot noir OR chardonnay tasting, conducted in the barrel room, sampling wines from 4 barrels and finish with a taste of one of our Estate wines in the underground cellar -Wine and Cheese pairing – (12 persons max) $50 per person - 50min to an hour –Learn about the beauty of pairing with 5 Estate wines matched to 5 NZ cheeses -Group tasting – (10 to 25 persons) $20 per person
Reviewed By spidernz - Gisborne, New Zealand
After a morning visiting Cape Palliser, what better way to spend the afternoon than drinking wine at Palliser Estate. Friendly and attentive service, delicious wines - we started with tasting selection, then decided to confirm (several times :) ) our favs, just a delightful way to spend an afternoon in the sun. Totally recommended in a beautiful setting.
6. Kiriwhakapapa Loop
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Always check the website for changes that might affect your trip
7. Queen Elizabeth Park Boats
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 149 reviews
This delightful urban park offers visitors a lake, an aviary, a children's playground, mini-golf, a swing bridge, gardens and a deer park.
Reviewed By cpcog - Wellington, New Zealand
The boats rental would only opened when the weather is suitable. So, better check before going. We went there on Boxing Day after heavy rain. Sad to say nothing was opened although the rain stopped. We went again on New Year Eve and finally we could experience the double kayak! My daughter loves kayaking very much and wants to do it with me. Queen Elizabeth Park Boats allowed us to kayak together. It was $17 for 2 people. (20 minutes) The duration is long enough for us to have the "journey" around the lake once. The staff was so nice. He helped us from choosing the life jacket to collect everything back. It was nice to kayak there with the ducks and other boats. Other than kayak, you can ride different boats or swan peddle craft. Great for family, lovers or friends. you can also wave your hands to the passengers riding on the mini train! The lake has quite a lot of seaweed. Just be careful about them. We enjoyed the time there! We can use card to pay for the boat rental but you must have cash for the mini train ride.
8. Pukaha National Wildlife Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 494 reviews
Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre is NZ's most established captive breeding facility located just 20 minutes north of Masterton. Set in 942 hectares of ancient Podocarp forest, Pukaha is home to many endangered species including takahē, kōkako, kākāriki, hīhī (stitchbird), kāka and several kiwi including Manukura, the ōnly white kiwi in captivity. Our Kākā Cafe overlooks the takahē enclosure. Watch out for the cheeky kākā parrots who regularly visit the outdoor cafe area (please remember not to feed the birds). Visitors can join daily talks or choose from our suite of guided tours. We offer Night Tours (listen for wild kiwi and discover glow worms). Our Hīkoi o Pūkaha is a unique cultural tour where you can learn stories of the Tangata Whenua - includes kai (food). Our campervan dawn and night tours allow you to stay overnight in the Reserve from the comfort of your campervan. Bookings essential. [no pets]
Reviewed By P71XNpaulm - Matraville, Australia
Had a great time, there was so much to see and do, very interesting place and well thought out park, the New Zealand birds were so beautiful, really enjoyed the day and loved the walk.
9. Cobblestones Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 137 reviews
Cobblestones Museum is located in Greytown on the site of the original Hastwell stables built in 1866. From here horse drawn coaches departed for Wellington and other Wairarapa towns. The new Entrance & Exhibition Building acts as an introduction to the museum and village and showcases a number of our larger and significant objects in our collection. The new exhibition building tells some of Greytown’s and Wairarapa heritage stories within it, and provides a link to other displays at Cobblestones and the region’s wider history. We also show the strong links to Papawai Marae and the exhibition features two river waka both of which were recovered from farmlands in the South Wairarapa. Within Cobblestone’s attractive village setting visitors can discover a range of historic buildings, giving an insight into life as it was lived by the Wairarapa’s first European settlers.
Reviewed By MKR61 - Macclesfield, United Kingdom
So pleased we stopped off here. Great museum of original buildings from local communities with lots of original artefacts. Particularly scary equipment in the little hospital, and sweet reminders of everyday life in the cottage. Excellent display of local photographs and history in the main building, well presented. Very knowledgable and friendly volunteers too, thank you!
10. Waiohine Gorge Suspension Bridge
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By profoundpropertynz - Upper Hutt, New Zealand
The drive to the gorge and swing bridge seem to take ages but in reality it was just "up the road'. It was so worth a visit, the river was icy cold to swim in on a hot day and the swing bridge was so much fun once we got over being scared to start out on it. This is a place you need to go on a warm day with hours to spend and a picnic on board.
