"Hidden Gems in the Wairarapa

Idyllic Martinborough square
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The drive down to Martinborough took us through the Turangi National Park which has, amongst other areas, the area used in LOTR for Mordor. It certainly lived up to its billing as the mist came down and it took us ages of carefull driving to get though.

Fortunately the weather got much better as we got down into the Wairarapa. We stayed at a fantastic place called Aylstone lodge which was real luxury compared to the YHA's (i.e. it had a bath!!). It only opened last November so it really did come accross as every bit as good as the web site. The owners were really friendly as well so with all that and a bottle of bubbly on arrival a great night was had by all. They had booked us into a lovely restaurant in the central square of Martinborough and at only a delightful 10 mins walk away it was perfect for starting to sample some of the local plonk and not having to drive back. There were certain quirks about the town we found after dinner (and it's a good job we hadn't drunk too much or we could have been worried that Blair had started war on Iran) as an air raid siren sounded! We were soon advised by the locals that this was the call for all of the local folks to come together for the volunteer fire service - after the third siren sounded we were feeling sorry for them (issues with numbers) and Nick was about to offer his support!

There were certain quirks about the town we found after dinner...

The infamous Martinborough Chardonnay
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After a fantastic nights sleep in a truly luxurious setting we set out to fulfill our purpose for treapsing down to Martinborough - to find our honeymoon Chardonnay! The first stop was a little disappointing as we found the vineyard (very small but conveniently located 5 mins on bikes) however they had sold out of the Chardonnay! We still did a little taster of the red and ended up buying 3 bottles there. We then cycled into town in the glorious sunshine and managed to locate the last 3 bottles of Martinborough Chardonnay at the local wine store - hurrah! A little more purchasing and then we headed off for a lunch in the sun at the Alana vineyard with a glass of Chardonnay in our hands (or mine at least as Nick was driving!).

Pedal power - first exercise since Inca!
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The next hidden gem in our Wairarapa experience was getting in touch with Nick's step-uncle and aunt - Neil and Sheila. A big thanks goes to them and their son Peter for putting up with us for the night in Masterton. None of us had ever met before but we passed a lovely evening talking about sport, supermarkets and travel at theirs and enjoyed a fantastic spread straight from the BBQ! It was great to meet you guys if you read this....and thanks also to June and Allan for permitting us to use their place for the night - an evening home from home which is just what we needed after being away for 6 weeks! Don't forget that we can repay the favour as Peter starts his travels later in the year!