After the Wellington Marathon: Martinborough

The Route: Wellington → Remutaka Hill → Featherston → Martinborough → Wellington Airport Logistics: About 90 minutes by road from central Wellington over the Remutaka Hill, a winding climb that can be icy or closed in winter. Check the NZ Transport Agency road status before leaving. A hire car is the most flexible option, and a rail service and buses also run to the Wairarapa, so check the timetable for the last leg to Martinborough itself. Marathon Month: July Duration: 1 night

Wellington ──(about 1 hr 30 mins by road)──> Remutaka Hill ──> Featherston ──> Martinborough
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Wellington Airport (WLG) <──(about 1 hr 30 mins by road, plus the airport run)──────┘

The Wellington Marathon finishes on a Sunday in July. Martinborough is a good Monday destination for a runner who wants to sit down in comfortable places, because a tasting is done seated and the town centre is a single flat square with cafés and small shops on every side.

July in Martinborough: winter. The Wairarapa is usually drier than Wellington and often sunnier, but frost is common in the mornings and the vines are bare. Days are cool, typically in the low double figures Celsius, and evenings are cold. It is the quiet season, which means cellar doors are calm and unhurried, though some close on weekdays, so check hours first.

Night One: The Square and the Cellar Doors

The town is laid out around Martinborough Square, with streets radiating outward in the pattern of a Union Jack, and nearly everything worth visiting is within a few minutes' walk of the centre. A slow lap of the square is about 500 metres on a flat, sealed surface.

Several well-known wineries sit within a few kilometres of the square, among them Ata Rangi, Palliser Estate and Dry River. Pinot noir is the local speciality. Many tastings are by appointment in winter, and fees vary, so check with each cellar door before you go. A seated tasting is the right pace for tired legs. Drive only if someone else is not tasting, or book a driver, and do not plan to walk out to the vineyards.

For a bed, Martinborough has a heritage hotel on the square and a scattering of boutique inns and B&Bs. Book early, because the town is small and midwinter weekends can fill. For dinner, the hotel and the cafés on the square serve hot food, but check whether your choice is open on a Monday night.

The Morning After

If the weather is clear, walk a gentle loop of the town in the morning. The streets are level and quiet, and the bakeries open early. If you have time to spare, Greytown, about 25 minutes north by road, has a main street of well-kept Victorian buildings and a few cafés and shops, and it makes a slow stop on the way back to Wellington.

Stopping on the Way

The road over the Remutaka Hill passes through Featherston, where the Fell Locomotive Museum keeps the story of the Fell railway, a unique system that once carried trains over the hill. Check the opening hours before you go. Featherston's main street has a few cafés and a bookshop, and it makes a sensible stop to stretch the legs.

Take a warm layer to every cellar door. Winter tasting rooms are often heated, but the walk from the car park can be cold and the vineyards are exposed to the wind. Some estates will pour a small tasting for a designated driver's companion or offer a non-alcoholic alternative, so ask when you book.

Getting Home

Allow a full 90 minutes from Martinborough to central Wellington, and add the airport transfer on top. Check the state of the Remutaka Hill road before you set off, and take the drive in daylight. If snow or ice is forecast, leave early or postpone the return until the hill is clear. Wellington Airport (WLG) is about 20 minutes from the city centre by taxi.