Explore Wairarapa's rural charm and coastal wonders on a 6-day cycling tour with Green Jersey Explorer.
Explore Wairarapa's rural charm and coastal wonders on a 6-day cycling tour with Green Jersey Explorer.
If you like cycling and you fancy an NZ adventure that is both manageable and exhilarating, saddle up for six days in Wairarapa, writes Elisabeth Easther.
The Wairarapa is a world away from the city I call home. A bucolic paradise, it’s the sort of place where locals look up from their blooming gardens to say hello to strangers who pass by on bikes. Motorists give cyclists a wide berth on the road, and the sheep oblige by baa-ing back at me when I bleat from the seat of my bike. Even the bus drivers go that extra mile because, on the day I arrived in Martinborough, the driver offered to drop me at the door of my digs, rather than have me trundle my suitcase a further three kilometres out of town. That is Wairarapa in a nutshell.
Day 0
I was in the Wairarapa for a six-day cycle tour with Green Jersey Explorer, a bike hire and tour business based in Martinborough. Having arrived the day before the tour started, I popped into Green Jersey HQ to hire a bike to explore the village and the various roads that fan out from the town square like the stripes of the Union Jack. Warming up with an easy 20km, I stopped at Nga Waka Cellar where a tasting paddle was matched with excellent pizza and salad. As for dinner at Nara, what a five-star feed. From its food truck origins, Nara is now based in the historic Pain and Kershaw building and the menu bursts with flavour. If I could’ve done it surreptitiously, I’d like to have licked the plates.
On the first official day of our tour, once we’d been fitted with our bikes, introduced to our group and our leader Johnny, we set off in search of the yellow markers that directed us through the back blocks of Martinborough. All extravagant gardens and acres of grapes. “Check out those gums,” I yelled to no one in particular, astonished how a certain stand of trees managed to cling to a steep bank, growing virtually parallel to an escarpment. Everything was wondrous.
Three hours in, our first stop was Hamden Estate above Dry River Terraces where David, a lawyer/vintner, took us on a tasting tour of his finest wines. Suitably impressed, I stashed a bottle in the pannier for later, then saddled up and rode on. A few kilometres later we pulled in at 3 Little Words, a popular cafe and wedding venue, where lunch was a combo of bread, pate, olives, cheese, salmon, kokoda and venison, which sustained us the final 15km to our lodgings for the next two nights: lavish Lacewood Estate.
Once we’d freshened up, Johnny drove us to nearby Kohunui Marae for a pōwhiri. With our mihimihi and waiata at the ready, we were formally welcomed to the region by iwi because, over the coming days, we would cross several tracts of ancestral land, many of them sites of significance. Such a heartfelt ceremony, it set a tone of warmth and respect for the rest of the tour. That night, back at historic Lacewood Estate, dinner was an elegant affair as proprietors Rob and Janelle simultaneously cooked and entertained in their stunning historic homestead.
Grass bikers.
Day 2: Remutaka Cycle Trail, Maymorn to Greytown, 50km
One of the many charms of this tour is that there are no crack-of-dawn starts. After a leisurely breakfast, we were transported by van over the Remutaka Range at a civilised hour. Reaching the start of the trail we began our ascent of the Remutaka Cycle Trail. Perfectly pastoral, there were fantails and foxgloves, freesias and forest, not to mention the world-famous fell railway. An absolute marvel of engineering, it boggles the mind to grasp how the brakes were designed to cling to the rails down a 169ft drop and, after the trains descended into the Wairarapa, the brake shoes needed to be changed after every journey. This was a day of delightful riding – of hills and history, bridges, tunnels and vast views. You could ride this trail every day and not get bored. But you would get hungry and, after a quick shower at the Greytown campground, we sought out Brac & Bow in Featherston. This splendidly ornate restaurant in the Royal Hotel first opened its doors in 1868 and today they serve hearty food to hungry travellers. No wonder Ed Sheeran sneaks in here when he’s in town.
The Remutaka Cycle Trail features the world-famous fell railway, an engineering marvel with a mind-boggling descent.
Day 3: Tuhitarata to Ngāwi, 50km
Taking our leave of Lacewood Estate, we cycled out the front gate, past the stately stand of remnant podocarp forest and headed to The Land Girl, the Pirinoa cafe famous for sublime scones and eclectic decor. If you’re after souvenirs, from art to homeware, this place is for you. From there we pedalled on to Palliser Ridge, where we were greeted by Lisa, the expansion manager, at the historic shearing shed. Or should that be sharing shed, because Lisa regaled us with tales of life on this regenerative farm. With premium woollen goods on display, we all chose a cosy keepsake to take home. Back out the gate, we faced a winding climb past clusters of nonchalant sheep cropping on emerald grass, eventually reaching the windswept trig station. From there it was all downhill, our sights set on Waimeha Camping Village. This quirky coastal accommodation is a combination of cabins, campsites and electric hookups and is a magnet for sightseers, surfers and seals. A super lively place to while away an evening, we enjoyed locally caught crayfish for dinner as the sun set and surf pounded the shore.
Ngāwi, known for rusty bulldozers used to launch boats, is a charming fishing village en route to a seal colony.
Day 4: Ngāwi to Tora, 40km
Leaving Waimeha for Tora, I was offered an electric bike for this leg, although I took a bit of convincing because I was fearful the battery might prove addictive. But I’m so glad I allowed my arm to be twisted, because the motor was just plain fun. It was the most challenging leg, with two guides with us for this segment, Johnny at the front and indefatigable Kaylene bringing up the rear. A quick stop at Ngāwi, the fishing village famous for its rusty old bulldozers that locals use to launch their boats, we then pressed on to the neighbouring seal colony. You could easily spend an entire day watching blubbery dads and watchful mums keep tabs on their offspring as they frolicked in the nursery pools. A quick pitstop at Cape Palliser to admire the views from the lighthouse, where 250 vertiginous steps take visitors to the historic beacon that was installed in 1897 after the coast claimed more than its fair share of shipwrecks. Back at sea level, we girded our loins for the most strenuous riding of the tour, a series of shingle fans and weather-beaten gravel gullies. How grateful was I for electrification? Safely across the other side, we were chaperoned to Tora by an impressive flock of sheep, a slow-motion stampede shepherded by a laconic farmer and his crew of working dogs. Not long now, the last little sealed section proved smooth as silk compared to some of the bone-rattling riding the rest of the day, and before we knew it we were at Tora Cookhouse where cheeses, crackers, dips and icy-cool beverages were laid out in welcome.
To reach the lighthouse, visitors must climb 250 vertiginous steps, providing panoramic views of the surroundings.
Day 5: Discover Tora, 48km
If you ever get a chance to stay at Tora Cookhouse, please do, as it is an exquisite rural coastal paradise. To make it even more adorable, we woke to find the van outside and guide Johnny walking jauntily towards us, clad in a wetsuit bearing a crayfish and a couple of pāua. Is there nothing this man cannot do? Suitably impressed, knowing our entrees were sorted for later, we made quick work of breakfast before letting Johnny lead us along the coast as far as we wanted to go. What a blissful spot. Unspoiled and uncrowded, where sea meets farm, with just our merry band and some sheep and cattle for company. Some of the most beautiful sunshine riding I could imagine.
Tora is highlighted for its scenic beauty, surf-worthy shores, and as a gathering place for sightseers, surfers and seals.
Day 6: Tora to Martinborough, 47km
Reluctantly riding out, not ready for our trip to end, today’s route took us along quiet country roads where we climbed for about 17km before reaching Hau Nui, New Zealand’s first commercial wind farm. Feeling pretty pleased with ourselves to have made it to the top, before we knew it, we were back in Martinborough where our adventure had begun, bidding our delightful group farewell over an emotional lunch. Time had flown, and we’d grown so fond of each other, I’ll admit I shed a few tears.
The verdict
Bicycle speed is the perfect pace for exploring Wairarapa, so if you’re partial to riding a pushbike, or an electrical cycle, and you fancy an adventure that is both manageable and exhilarating, this trip is for you. My only objection was that the week went too fast – but at least the memories are mine to keep, and I’ll savour them forever.
Details
Green Jersey is a family-owned business based in Martinborough that offers tours of the wider Wairarapa region as well as some excellent itineraries through France.
