After a smooth sailing across the Strait, we had one night in Wellington before crossing the Remutaka Hill to the Wairarapa.
We stayed at the Copthorne at Oriental Bay .. an old favourite .. and had dinner that night with Pharmacy friends Noel and Di Waterson. We dined at Fratelli’s in Blair Street. Excellent food and company.
This was to be our third visit to Martinborough in as many years, and staying once again at Pinot Villas. This is very comfortable and centrally located. Golf was on the agenda, as was wine tasting, dinner at Union Square bistro and catching up with relations in Masterton.
Dinner that night was at the Union Square Bistro. Sue had the steak and myself the pasta. Top quality!
The next morning called in to nearby Greytown for a coffee, and a wander around the town. It was time for some exercise again, so we drove to the Mt Holdsworth area, at the base of the Tararuas, and about 15kms from Masterton. There is a camping area, and a number of DOC walks, of varying distances and difficulty. We did the loop walk, which took about an hour.
We then returned to Martinborough for lunch at Poppies. This was the platter with a glass of wine. A popular destination. It was then on to the nearby Luna Winery for tasting and purchasing!
Later in the afternoon, we drove up to Masterton to visit Uncle Rick and Aunt Marion at their home in the Lansdowne Lifestyle Village.
Dinner that evening was at CBK in Perry Street. There were a number of old framed photos on the wall, including one of Rick from his butchering days, circa 1970! It was nice to catch up with the cousins and some of their children, many of whom we hadn’t seen for years.
Time to head home, but not before a stopover in Taihape.