At some point during last year it dawned on me that there was just the one final corner of New Zealand that remained unexplored for Barby and me.
The Wairarapa—especially the southern section which is the most southern point of the North Island.
As soon as a week of annual leave came into focus, I was off to book-a-bach to find a suitable place for a holiday together.
So, what can we say now of the Wairarapa?!
‘Been There, Done That’—as this sign on the road to Martinborough expressed it.
We found a ‘bach’, or holiday cottage, on the outskirts of the sprawling metropolis of Pirinoa and set our sights on some sight-seeing…
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| Kiriwai Lagoon, with the $3000/night Wharekauhau Country Estate in the distance. |
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| Lake Onoke, looking east from near Ocean Beach |
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| Sunset across Lake Onoke, showing the gap (mid-photo) for the sea-water rushing in and out |
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| That gap, near Lake Ferry, is very narrow—and dangerous. |
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| Cape Palliser Lighthouse |
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| The view from the Lighthouse |
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| Kupe’s Sail, not too far from the Lighthouse |
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| Whatarangi Bluff, with my attempt at a panorama to capture it’s spectacular-ness |
A 60min walk in from the coastline brought us to the Putangirua Pinnacles. We completed this walk on a darker, moody and misty day. The track was officially closed due to landslides from the cyclone the week before. So we opted for the safer route, walking up the riverbed. It still felt a wee bit dangerous … and this all provided the right ambience to walk the Dimholt Road of Lord of the Rings fame—without the entrance to the Paths of the Dead, thankfully.
nice chatting
Paul
PS—It has been such a tough time here in New Zealand. Before the end of February, I think my home city of Auckland had felt the impact of two cyclones and three floods—and others have suffered even more.
We lost count of the number of uprooted trees that we saw along the way, most of them far bigger than this one beside Lake Taupō.
This notice in The Big Apple shop, near Greytown (Wairarapa), said so much. Mind you, it didn’t stop them selling us the yummiest plums and peaches we’ve eaten in a very long time—not to mention the real-fruit ice cream at 9am(!) as we made the 10+ hours trip back home again…
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
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It looks like a beautiful spot!
And yes, I'm finding the cyclone devastation quite surreal – especially as we're personally barely impacted at all, but people not at all far from us have lost their homes (and one person from church now lives in a yellow-stickered house), and things are so much worse again on the East coast.
Yes, Heather — I hope you and Martin can visit the area one day!
The devastation, especially the violent imagery of uprooted trees up and down the country, really was confronting.
Not sure you if you are into wine… We aren't. But it is very much a wine-making area. In fact, when I looked on TripAdvisor for the Top Ten things to do in Martinborough, NINE of them had to do with vineyards 🙂
best wishes
Paul