Wairarapa & Castlepoint Travel Guide – Coastal Walks, Lighthouses, Birds, Food & Wine
Last updated on May 17th, 2026 at 05:44 am
The best 20 things to do in the Wairarapa
The undiscovered Wairarapa, in New Zealand’s North Island, has some stunning coastal scenery, including a couple of fabulous lighthouses, world-class food and wine experiences in Martinborough, native birds and forests, rivers to swim, stargazing and more. It is an unexplored area for any traveler and you will find truly authentic locals and experiences here. Read on for my top 20 things to do and itineraries in the Wairarapa.
First a few important links to use when you plan your trip. They are affiliate links, but I use them all for my travels, and if you do too it will help me keep producing this content – and at no extra cost to you. Cheers!
Plan for your trip
Flights – use skyscanner or booking.com to find and book your flight – I often find the same flight for a lot cheaper than booking direct with the airline!
Insurance – Use EKTA or SafetyWing. TBH I usually use EKTA – they accept any nationality, any age and its ok if you are already traveling – which is perfect for me!
Accommodation – use booking.com or for a hostel – Hostelworld. I use both.
Internet – buy a yesim eSim or Airalo before you go. I use both depending on where I am going.
Buses, trains, ferries – 12Go is always my first option for buses, ferries and trains
Car rental – use DiscoverCars – they are my ‘go-to’ car rental site
Hiking – I use AllTrails for online and offline hiking trails – it means you know exactly where you are on the trail and makes getting lost a lot harder!!
Tours and Activities – book with Viator, GetYourGuide, or Eatwith. Key options are:
- Chefs Private Martinborough wine tour with Gourmet Lunch
- Remutaka Rail Trail eBike Tour
- Pinot to Palliser tour of the Southern Coast and seals
Thanks so much if you use one of these links – it costs you nothing but helps me keep writing!
1. Climb to the Castlepoint Lighthouse and up Castle Rock
Simply drive to Castlepoint and you will see the stunning lighthouse dominating the headland it sits on. Walk up and around the lighthouse and rocks – keeping an ear out for the blowholes (at higher tides) on the way up.
Then from the carpark by the church you can walk along Deliverance Cove Track across the hillside toward Castle Rock (top right corner of the photo above). Below the rock is a great view to the next beach along the coast. But its stunning going up the path to the rock. (Not suitable for anyone with vertigo or height issues. Also no kids – unless you have complete faith they will stick by you and do what you say – no safety barriers up there!) Don’t be put off – its a great short walk.
There are two swimming options – the main beach or “The Basin” which you can see in the photo. The Basin at the lighthouse end can be great for kids or a chill swim. the far end is for surfers and does have a rip that can pull you out so take care – better to go to the main beach!
2. Try award winning wines in Martinborough – take a wine tour
Martinborough is a rural boutique little wine village with world class wine – especially the Pinot Noir! There are plenty of vineyards to chose from (there are 69 wineries in the Wairarapa and about 40 are in the Martinborough area) and your best bet is a tour covering a few of them – unless you have plenty of days.
In Martinborough wine and food go together and the wineries generally have food on offer as well – and usually it is fabulous. So you are in for a treat here!
Some of the cellar doors worth mentioning (plus some other options to try along with your lovely pinot noirs) are: Ata Rangi (worth trying the chardonnay, pinot gris, and sauvignon blanc), Moy Hall Wines (try a rosé or pinot gris), Palliser Estate (try the sauvignon blanc and the pinot gris), and Poppies (try the pinot gris and gewurztraminer).
Great tour options are:
Martinborough is also close to the rugged southern coast of the North Island and its seal colonies and lighthouse which I will cover in the next item!
3. Explore the south coast and go seal spotting
South of Martinborough is the southernmost coast in the North Island. It is wild and rugged and definitely worth exploring. Some of the key things to do are:
- Walk up the 258 steps to the Cape Palliser lighthouse and soak in the view (as in the photo). Yes its worth it!
- Watch the seals in the seal colony near the lighthouse. You can walk amongst them!
- Hike through the “badlands” of pillars made famous as the “Paths of the Dead” in The Lord of the Rings at the Putangirua Pinnacles
- Have fresh fish and chips at the historic Lake Ferry hotel.
And if you are staying in Martinborough or nearby, this tour is perfect – the south coast and wine!
The “Pinot to Palliser tour” – a guided tour to Cape Palliser. This is a great day where you see the interesting geography of the area, eat at the rural and historic Lake Ferry Hotel, and finish off with wine tasting!
4. See kiwi and other native birds at the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre
In the north of the Wairarapa is the Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre – a reserve with walking paths (up to 2 hours long) and with many native birds in walk in aviaries. Of course you can see kiwi here too and learn about how they raise kiwi for release into the wild.
Many other native bird species are found here too, including some rarer birds like the Kōkako (Blue Wattled Crow) and Pāteke (Brown Teal).
You can also see Tuatara, feed the local eels, and even watch carvers at work in the attached carving studio (Mon-Sat). If you are in a campervan, you can book to stay a night with a tour included in the price.
5. Go Star Gazing in a International Dark Sky Reserve
Stargazing – the southern Wairarapa area is now an international Dark Sky Reserve. And the stars are definitely fantastic! You can go outside (away from any street and house lights) and just look and enjoy – or even better, go on a Star Safari Stargazing Experience with Hari and Sam.
Hari is an astrobiologist, and Sam is an astrophysicist and they will give you a great mix of story telling and learning while you look through their powerful telescopes. Book with GetYourGuide or with Viator.
6. Walk or bike the Remutaka Rail Trail
Walk an off the beaten path trail following an old disused railway line. You do need to coordinate transport, but it is worth it!
The trail takes you through beautiful forest, past rivers with swimming holes, over high swing bridges, to historic settlements and abandoned train parts, and through some very cool tunnels!
It is 18km long and takes about 5 hours to walk one way. I do recommend if just walking one part of it, that you walk up from the Featherstone (Wairarapa) side and back. But do try and bike or coordinate transport to do the full walk if you can.
Read my post dedicated to this trail for a lot more details – particularly on transport options – Walk or bike the Remutaka Rail Trail
If I was doing it again, I would bike. You can get even lazier and take an e-bike with this Remutaka Rail Trail eBike Tour. That’s my choice for next time!
7. Check out the Fell Locomotive Museum
The little township of Featherston has the only remaining Fell Locomotive in the world housed in its own museum. It is beautifully restored and the volunteer staff are full of information about it all. If you are doing the Remutaka Rail Trail it would be great to visit this museum first to understand the history and mechanics of what you are seeing on the trail!
8. Hike in the Tararuas
There are a mass of hikes in the area but these are some firm favorites – for me and others!
- Donnelly Flat Loop Walk – 2.5km loop / 1 hour. This is a really pretty and easy walk to a picnic spot. Beautiful ferns, rivers, and majestic trees.
- Rocky Lookout – 2km / 1-2 hours one way. Walk to a lookout with extensive views over the hills, Mt Holdsworth, and the plains to the east.
- Atiwhakatu Track – 7.2km / 2-3 hours one way. An easy riverside walk to a great hut – also beside the river. Good for beginners to overnight hiking.
- Powell Hut – 8-10km / 4-5 hours one way. Walk up and stay the night at Holdsworth Hut, returning the same way the next day, or, carry on with the Jumbo Circuit as below. Spend a night at the hut watching stars above and twinkling lights of the townships far below.
- Mt Holdsworth – Jumbo Circuit 24km loop / 2-3 days. This is the best of the area with so many views and a wonderful ridgeline walk. The small alpine flowers and bush can be very beautiful too depending on the time of year.
9. Take a tube and go river swimming
The Wairarapa has great rivers – and there are some good spots for summer swimming and tubing!
Go to a garage and ask for a tube or two, and head to one of the swim spots. These are only known by locals and so not generally signposted. You can ask locals what is good at the time and may find a few other places. But this one at the end of Olivers Road just outside of Masterton is usually very good – it is where the photo was taken.
Another very popular option (with signs) is the Waiohine Gorge – which not only has river swimming but hiking and camping as well and a fun Suspension Bridge – see more below! Note that the road in can be a bit rough so take it slowly!
10. Brave the Waiohine Gorge Suspension Bridge
It’s great fun – just go do it! Walk high across the river and into the bush. You can camp, swim and walk in this area and its just a good place to stop and chill in nature with a bit of fun for good measure!
11. Get wet at the Patuna Farm Chasm
Patuna Farm Chasm is about a three-hour walk through native bush, and down the Ruakokoputuna river, with fossils, stalactites, flora and fauna, and definitely some beautiful photo opportunities in and around the chasms.
You will be walking down the river some of the time and will get wet – so dress for it! Great in the summer as you can cool off in the water.
12. Enjoy the magic at Lavender Magic
This highly rated and lovely flower farm – including lavender of course – is a perfect spot for sitting in amongst the flowers with the bees, enjoying the mountain views, and of course enjoying the cafe food and browsing the local products. It is interesting to see a working flower farm as well.
13. Sample the local cafes and visit a locals secret or two
Carterton – a totally non-descript town has two great examples of kiwi cafe culture – where great cafes with quality food are in the most unassuming places. Forget the city centers and the like, this is where you find the real deal.
First, we have Aunt Gingers Kitchen, in the town center. You will only find locals from surrounding towns here and it will be busy – the food is great and so is the coffee – its a perfect place to just be in a locals cafe and you will be well rewarded.
Just north of the town is another local favorite – The Clareville Bakery – yummy treats and a wide range of delicious pies are on offer, and again you will be surrounded only by locals! (Not open Sundays.)
Further south in Featherston, a place people drive through except for one very important stop, is C’est Cheese. This is a great artisan cheese shop and deli – with a small cheese based cafe as well. Try the cheese toasties and the cheese scones!
A complete locals secret is The Watermill Bakery near Mt Holdsworth (in the photo above). Only open on a Friday night, they make the most yummy pizzas. You will only find friendly locals here so say hello. You have to book ahead and order how many bases you will want – i.e how many pizzas you think you will eat. Phone +6463701129.
Finally – another little locals secret! If you stay in Masterton, check what’s on at this boutique little cinema. You can take a wine (and food) in with you and order another to be brought in during the movie. Comfy seats with plenty of space for your glasses and plates – perfect!
14. The Woolshed Museum
At the highly rated Woolshed Museum you can learn more about farming and wool and the huge part it has played in the modern development of the country since European settlement. This museum is a genuine woolshed, transported from a farm to the town, and great for city dwellers and tourists to learn about grass roots kiwi farming life.
15. Try your hand at farming
You could say the heart and soul of the North Island and especially the Wairarapa is in its farming life – its the biggest traditional industry in the country and this is “the” place to experience it. If you have time try a Workaway and get a real taste of what its all about!
Go to Workaway, choose New Zealand in the country box, then put Wairarapa in the keyword space. Voila – you will have a choice of local farms to enjoy some time on!
16. Rivenrock Mountain Bike Park
Yes – you can go mountain biking in the Wairarapa! There are two DoC tracks – one mentioned above – the Remutaka Rail trail. The other track is the 30km Aorangi Crossing – great for an overnighter with a few basic huts to choose from if you feel like taking it easy.
Another option is the Rivenrock Mountain Bike Park which is purpose built for all levels of biker – with an equally wide range of tracks! You can bring your own bike or hire one there.
17. Go camping
Camping in the Wairarapa is generally an uncrowded and chill affair. DoC has six campsites and there are private and free-camp spots too. These are the best DoC sites in my humble opinion!
- Bucks Road Campsite – swimming and walking in a generally quiet spot.
- Holdsworth Campsite – an easy access campsite with river swimming and forest walking.
- Putangirua Pinnacles Campsite – by a stream , across the road from a pebbly beach, and a short walk to the Lord of the Rings “badlands.”
- Waiohine Gorge Campsite – a cool swing bridge, river swimming and forest walking.
18. Lake Wairarapa and the Wairarapa Moana Wetlands
Lake Wairarapa is a wonderful wetlands / lake environment and generally overlooked. There are a number of walks and bird hides in the area. Boggy Pond is a good area to start with and has both. You may see rare birds like the Royal Spoonbill and Australasian Bittern as well as the more common ducks, shags, swans, hawks, pukeko and more.
19. Stonehenge Aotearoa
I put in the NZ Stonehenge as a bonus as it really depends on your interests and tastes. Some people love it and say they learn a lot about astronomy and early human interaction, others think its a pile of concrete! Read the reviews and decide for yourself whether it should be on your itinerary!
20. Spend a weekend at one of the Wairarapa festivals
There are some great festivals and events in the Wairarapa. These are the six best imho!
- Toast Martinborough (Jan) – wine food and music in wine country – you can’t go wrong!
- Wings over Wairarapa – (February) – a fantastic air show with all kinds of planes of all vintages!
- The World Championship Golden Shears (March) – see world champion shearers at work – a real kiwi affair!
- The Castlepoint Races (March) – horse racing on the beach and a great day out for everyone!
- The Wairarapa Hot Air Balloon Festival (April) – see all kinds of hot air balloons and designs from around NZ and the world.
- The Featherston Booktown (May) – a celebration of all things book and authors in this tiny town with a large number of bookshops!
Suggested Mini Itineraries
These are a couple of suggested itineraries depending on the time you have. Neither is enough to cover everything, but they should be a good basis for planning your time in the Wairarapa.
Mini Itinerary (2 Days)
- Day 1: Visit Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, then take a trip to Castlepoint in the afternoon.
Walk to the lighthouse and Castle Rock, and take the time to swim. Spend the night at the beach. - Day 2: Start the day early and drive to Martinborough in time for a wine tour, or even better the “Pinot to Palliser tour” to see the Southern Coast as well as wine! Sample the wines over dinner in Martinborough.
Mini Itinerary (4-5 Days)
- Day 1: Visit Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre, then drive to Masterton and visit the Woolshed Museum. Enjoy a movie and meal at the Screening Room.
- Day 2: Take a trip to Castlepoint – walk to the lighthouse and Castle Rock, and take the time to swim. Spend the night at the beach or return to Masterton.
- Day 3: Go for a walk in the forest – try one of the day walks in 8. Hike in the Tararuas and visit nearby Lavender Magic or have a go at the Rivenrock Mountain Bike Park.
Alternatively, drive to the Waiohine Gorge and cross the suspension bridge and take a forest walk there. Cool off with a swim after the walk.
Drive to Martinborough for the night – go stargazing in the Dark Sky Reserve - Day 4: Take a Martinborough wine or food and wine tour (Chefs Private Martinborough wine tour with Gourmet Lunch or Martinborough in a Day – Guided wine tasting tour with lunch, or perhaps Private Martinborough Wine Tour for Wine Enthusiasts).
Or, if short of time and you want to see more of the area try the “Pinot to Palliser tour” to see the Southern Coast as well as wine! Sample the wines over dinner in Martinborough. - Day 5: If you have time, and have spent a day in the wineries already, try the “Pinot to Palliser tour” or drive around the southern coast as per 3. Explore the south coast and go seal spotting.
If you have the time after that, visit the Fell Locomotive Museum and C’est Cheese in Featherston on your way through to Wellington!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it worth the 1 hour drive to Castlepoint beach from Masterton?
A: Yes, I think so, but only if you are going to spend some time walking there and enjoying it.
Q: Can you swim at Castlepoint beach?
A: Yes, but currents can be strong especially at the southern end of the basin – check what the locals are doing and ask them about the current conditions. Generally the main beach and north end of the basin are safe to swim.
Q: Are wine tours in Martinborough suitable for beginners?
A: Yes, many tours are relaxed, beginner-friendly, and include tastings. Or just speak to the staff at any of the vineyards and they will help you too!
Q: What are the roads like in the Wairarapa?
A: Most roads are sealed but generally only one lane each way. Country roads can be very windy without a marked centerline and some are unsealed. Drive slow and don’t brake fast on those roads.
Q: When is the best time to visit the Wairarapa?
A: Spring and summer for flowers, wine and outdoor fun, autumn for cooler walking weather and golden scenery!
Where to stay in the Wairarapa Martinborough
There is a wide range of places and budgets throughout the Wairarapa for you to chose from. The following I have either stayed at or they are very highly review rated.
Stay in Martinborough at..
High End – Whitimanuka Retreat or Petite on Regent
Mid range – The Martinborough Hotel or Swan House
Budget – Martinborough TOP 10 Holiday Park
4 bed villa – Paradise on Campbell
Stay in Castlepoint at..
The main option is to stay at the budget Castlepoint Holiday Park and Motels
Stay in Masterton at..
High End – 5 o’clock Somewhere
Mid range – Le Grá Vineyard and Winery
Budget – Masterton Motor Lodge
Stay in Greytown at..
Westwood Country House or Bidwills Gem
Mid range – Chambre Damis or The Saddlery
Budget – Greytown Campground – I stayed in a cabin and it was absolutely great.
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