Manakau, New Zealand + Add a trip

Automobiles

The best way to explore the Wairarapa is with your own wheels. Pick up a hire car in Wellington: all the international big-name companies have offices at Wellington Airport, or at the ferry terminal if you're arriving by sea from the South Island. Alternatively, once you're in the region you can get around by bus with Wairarapa Coach Lines (+64 (0)6 308 9352; www.waicoach.co.nz) who run buses from Martinborough to Masterton (NZ$7) via Featherston, Greytown and Carterton. Tranzit Coachlines (+64 (0)6 377 1227; www.tranzit.co.nz) also operate services throughout the region.

Planes

The closest international airport to the Wairarapa is Wellington Airport (www.wellington-airport.co.nz), about two hours' drive away. Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com) flies daily between Auckland and Masterton in the Wairarapa (return from NZ$210).

Trains

Tranz Metro (0800 801 700; www.tranzmetro.co.nz) trains run daily between Wellington and Masterton (NZ$14), stopping at Featherston, Greytown and Carterton.

Dialing

Country code: +64; Wairarapa region: 06 (drop the 0 if dialling from outside New Zealand).

Reads

For a virtual journey around the Wairarapa landscape, thumb through gorgeous photography book Wairarapa - A Place Apart by Pete Nikolaison and Michael Wall. For some background on white settlement in the area, check out Early History of the Wairarapa by Charles Bannister. The Wine Atlas of New Zealand by Michael Cooper has the lowdown on the best Wairarapa vintages.

Do go / Don't Go

Summer in the Wairarapa (December to February) is a beautiful time, with hot, clear days and long, still evenings - but this is also when New Zealanders are on holidays, so things can get a bit hectic. A better bet is to visit during autumn (March to April) when the grapes are being harvested, the kids are back at school and days resonate with post-summer nostalgia.

Cuisine

The cool-climate Wairarapa, with its gravelly soil, hot summers and dry autumns, has made a name for itself producing Pinot Noir - but you can also pick up some fab bottles of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling, and if you hunt around, the odd Merlot and Rosé (this is one of NZ's most accessible and least hyped wine regions). With all that wine-swilling, you'll want something to line your stomach: the region has plenty of pubs serving trad farmer-style roasts and fry-ups, plus a new breed of gourmet cafés and restaurants offering city-quality epicurean delights. Check out the tasty local cheese, chocolate and olive oil too.

Taxis

Masterton Taxis (+64 (0)6 378 2555) service the region's main towns.

Tipping

It isn't mandatory, but tip 10 per cent in restaurants and cafés if your service came with a smile. Round taxi fares up to the nearest dollar.

Currency

New Zealand dollar (NZ$).

Packing

Leave some room in your Samsonite for a few bottles of peppery Wairarapa Pinot Noir, and maybe your bike shorts - cruising the wineries on two wheels is a low-stress way to go.

Arts

The Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art & History (+64 (0)6 370 0001; www.aratoi.org.nz) in Masterton chronicles the Wairarapa's multicultural and artistic heritage. In nearby Greytown, the Cobblestones Village Museum (+64 (0)6 304 9687; www.cobblestonesmuseum.org.nz) takes a quaint-meets-kitsch approach to recreating the early settler days.

And...

Shopping

The bigger Wairarapa wineries can arrange shipping, so you can enjoy your two dozen Pinots when you get home. Got that ol' chocolate itch? Scratch it inside a 1920s cottage in Greytown, where creative Schoc Chocolate (+64 (0)6 304 8960; www.chocolatetherapy.com) turns out trays of glorious chocolates with mind-boggling flavours (the house-special lime-chilli variety is hard to beat).

Viewpoint

If you can drag your eyes away from the rather treacherous road across the Rimutaka Range between Wellington and the Wairarapa, the rocky heights offer some amazing views down onto the farmland and vineyard country below. Alternatively, the long 250-step climb up the Cape Palliser lighthouse will reward you with breathtaking views of the South Island.

Something

Not far from Masterton, the Tararua Forest Park (www.doc.govt.nz) offers a (free!) change of pace from the area's more urban trappings. Take a hike through the trees, consider a dip in a chilly sub-alpine creek, or chat to the ranger about spotting bird, animal and insect life.