A crème brûlée doughnut, a vineyard lunch, an afternoon with no particular plans. In New Zealand’s Wairarapa, local travel designer Luke Peterson makes a delicious case for leaving a little room in your itinerary.
By Luke Peterson
You’ve closed the laptop, set your out-of-office reply and travelled to New Zealand. Finally, a holiday. Then you open the itinerary.
Breakfast at eight. Check-out at nine. A wine tasting, a scenic stop, somewhere for lunch if there’s time. Another drive. Another bed. Somehow, the calendar has come with you.
As a New Zealand Travel Designer, I enjoy a well-arranged journey. Bookings matter. So does knowing where you’ll sleep. But I’m rather fond of leaving enough space between those arrangements for a holiday to happen.
The Wairarapa offers some delicious reasons to do just that.
A world away from Wellington
Tucked away in the southern corner of New Zealand’s North Island is a region called the Wairarapa – which translates from Māori as “Glistening Waters”. Just over an hour from the capital city, Wellington, you can find yourself among vineyards, small towns and open farmland, feeling a world away.
Having lived in the Wairarapa for several years, I’d love more visitors to discover its smaller pleasures, especially those looking for a little breathing room in their New Zealand holiday.
Martinborough is the wine village, Greytown offers heritage streets and independent shops, and Carterton has cheerful surprises. Further out, country roads lead towards Castlepoint’s lighthouse and sweeping coast.
You could spend a day sampling the region. I’d give it several nights, so a lovely afternoon doesn’t have to end with a hurried departure.
Begin with something delicious
Photo: Arran Worsley
Clareville Bakery sits just outside Carterton, a small town in the heart of the region. Artisan bread, pastries, pies and coffee make it somewhere I recommend allowing more than a quick takeaway stop. My pick is the crème brûlée doughnut.
Something savoury as well? Something “for later”? “For later” is a wonderfully optimistic phrase when a bakery bag is within reach.
Give the bakery display a proper look, order what appeals and sit down. If you’re travelling with someone whose choice looks equally tempting, negotiations may be required.
There’s something pleasing about beginning a day this way. You’ve found somewhere good, you’re enjoying what’s in front of you, and you haven’t yet needed to calculate your next arrival time.
That’s enough to be getting on with.
Martinborough, one table at a time
Martinborough is compact enough to begin with a wander. Have a look around the village. Find a coffee. Kitcheners, a village café, is one of my suggestions for a morning stop. With locals chatting around you and a warm pie in front of you, it’s an easy place to feel welcome.
Then consider the vineyards. Poppies is a friendly choice for a wine tasting. At Margrain winery, the Chenin Blanc is worth remembering if you’d like to explore beyond the region’s celebrated pinot noir.
Choose places you’re curious about and arrange transport so everyone who wants to taste can enjoy it. Then give each stop time.
Ask how Poppies got its name, or how the landscape has changed. When my dad lived in Martinborough as a child, this was sheep-farming country. There are stories here beyond what’s in your glass.
If the setting is lovely and the conversation is flowing, I’d be reluctant to interrupt either simply to fit in another tasting.
A little further into wine country
Photo: Arran Worsley
Martinborough doesn’t have the Wairarapa’s wine story all to itself. For a local secret, seek out URLAR, an organic winery tucked away down an unassuming country road. Its cellar door pairs organic wines with seasonal country fare and views across the vineyard and lake.
Come for a tasting. Leave time for lunch. A table overlooking the vineyard and lake makes a persuasive case for keeping the rest of your afternoon lightly arranged.
Leave time for a little browsing
Photo: Arran Worsley
Greytown rewards a different kind of curiosity. Its heritage buildings, independent shops and cafés invite an afternoon of fossicking—browsing for little treasures and seeing what catches your eye. You don’t need to buy anything for browsing to count as an enjoyable afternoon.
Aperitif Wine Bar & Eatery offers somewhere to pause over food or a drink while the town carries on around you. In Carterton, look for the painted rainbow wings – a cheerful piece of street art that invites you to step into the picture.
Sometimes the memory you bring home is a grand landscape. Sometimes it’s your companion trying to line up with a pair of painted wings while you both laugh.
Give the sea some time
For a change of scene, follow the road to Castlepoint, a small settlement on the Wairarapa’s east coast. The bay, reef-framed lagoon and lighthouse offer a coastal day with plenty to look at and very little need to hurry.
Bring layers, something to eat, and flexibility about the weather. Walk, find somewhere to pause and watch the waves for a while. You may find that a walk and a picnic are quite enough. And watch out for gulls trying to snatch the fish and chips from your fingers.
A little room goes a long way
Make the bookings that matter. Keep a few afternoons open. Let lunch run longer when it deserves to. You’ve already done the work of getting here. Leave yourself some time to enjoy it.
Luke Peterson is the New Zealand Travel Designer behind Great Kiwi Trips, creating personalized holidays shaped by travellers’ interests rather than a sightseeing checklist. Inspired by manaakitanga—the Māori value of hospitality, generosity and care—his approach combines thoughtful arrangements with room for discovery.
