Carterton - at the heart of the Wairarapa

Carterton Calendar

Carterton has a number of regular events to attract visitors and in 2007, being the 150th Jubilee of the town’s founding, there are some additional dates to note.

10 March - Carterton Wheelbarrow Race (Memorial Square); 10-11 March – Sculpture in the Country (Awaiti Gardens); 18 March – Anniversary Heritage Parade & Festival; 21 March – Autumn Equinox celebrations at Stonehenge Aotearoa; 6-8 July – Official Jubilee Celebrations; 7-8 July – “In the Neighbourhood” photographic exhibition; 8 July – Winter Solstice Fair (A&P Showgrounds); 14 July – Pioneer Dinner; 8-9 Sept – Carterton Art Exhibition; 9 Sept – Carterton Daffodil Festival; 26-28 October – Wairarapa A&P Show; 28 Oct – Heritage Walk (Historic buildings); 1 Nov – Scarecrows Big Day Out (Gladstone); 3 Nov – Jubilee Fireworks Display; 24 Nov – Rotary Club Christmas Parade.

For more information on these and other special Jubilee events contact Carterton District Council 06 379-6626, email julie@cdc.govt.nz or Carterton Information Service & Gallery 06 379-5550 email info@carterton.org.nz. For information on other events in the Wairarapa visit www.wairarapanz.com and click on Upcoming Events.

Things to see and do

The booklet Heritage Trails of Wairarapa, published in conjunction with the NZ Heritage Trail Foundation, provides information on a suggested walking tour of the town, taking in many of the historical sites.

"Must sees" while you're in Carterton include the Historical Society in Broadway and the historic Railway Station, which houses the Carterton Community & Railway Museum.

A big draw for visitors is Paua World in Kent Street, where you can buy a large range of gifts and souvenirs skillfully made of paua shell and other materials.

Adjacent to Paua World is the take-off point for Ballooning NZ, where you can book a hot air balloon ride over the district, a truly spectacular experience, and follow it with a champagne breakfast.

Open spaces in town include Carrington Park with its band rotunda (used for concerts), play equipment for children, a skateboard ramp and a large sports field. The park has plenty of shade trees and is popular as a picnic spot for families.

Another large park is the Howard Booth Park, accessed from either Belvedere Road or Kent Street, which also has a children’s play area and a sports field. The park also has squash courts and is the location of the Carterton Holiday Park with caravan and camping sites. A little further down Belvedere Road is the recently developed Sparks Park , with its lake, picnic tables and attractive trees.

A focal point of the town centre is Memorial Square with its surrounding cafes, wine bar and pub. Outdoor wining and dining provide relaxing views of the beautiful trees and flower beds. The Square has recently been remodelled, with new paths, new plantings, and a colonnade.

Arguably Carterton’s major visitor attraction these days is Stonehenge Aotearoa, at the premises of the Phoenix Astronomical Society on Ahiaruhe Road a few minutes east of the town. Here you can see a NZ adaptation of the famous Stonehenge in England. It is not a replica of the ancient monument but a modern interpretation, based upon the many stone circles and astronomical stone structures scattered around the globe. Regular tours encourage people of all ages to rediscover the knowledge of their ancestors.

For garden lovers

A number of Carterton’s private gardens are open to the public during spring and garden tours are increasingly popular. Two notable gardens are worth particular mention.

Richmond Garden , close to the town centre in Wakelin Street, is a formal Italianate garden open by appointment. The garden achieves its harmony and continuity through the repetition of a few predominant species. European beech, copper and green, is used extensively for hedging and forest trees. Hornbeam is hedged and interlaced as well as linden limes. Box (Buxus Sempervirens) is used extensively in the form of hedging and topiary.

On the south side of the house are whimsical ‘garden rooms’ including the Beatrix Potter Garden, Bird Garden and the Stilt Hedge Garden. (Bookings 06 379 8867)

On Chester Road , off SH2 north of Clareville, is the popular Awaiti Gardens , where (between September and May) you can visit this 6-acre garden, which is attached to a large deer and cattle farm. There's a tearoom and gift shop here too. During the weekend of 10-11 March 2007 Awaiti will host the region’s inaugural Sculpture in the Country exhibition, featuring garden sculptures by leading NZ artists. (Bookings 06 379 8478)

Just over a kilometre or so further up the road is Daysh House and garden. The extensively planted property includes a lake with bank plantings of iris, mountain flax, toetoe, hebe, agapanthus and other plants. A parkland area has a variety of deciduous and evergreen trees, while there are also profuse perennial beds, a rockery area, shrubberies, a rose garden and native bush walk. To view phone 06 379-5690.

Carterton's Rivers

Three main rivers provide for a variety of activities in the district. Some popular swimming sites are listed below. Take care when diving into river holes and beware of swiftly flowing rivers.

Ruamahanga River: The Cliffs (Dakins Road, East Taratahi), Gladstone Road (at the bridge; close to Gladstone Inn), Kokotau Road (at the bridge; via Parkvale), Foreman Jury Road (Ponatahi; past Kokotau Rd bridge, turn right towards Martinborough, approx. 3km on right).

Waingawa River : Mt Holdsworth Road , Hughes Line (off Cornwall Road).

Waiohine River : Swamp Road , Waiohine Gorge Road (Walls Whare; via Swamp Rd and follow Gorge signs).

Atiwhakatu Stream: Mt Holdsworth Lodge.

Mangatarere Stream: Mangatarere Valley Rd (off Chester Road).

Clareville, West Taratahi & Mt Holdsworth

The Tararuas form the majestic backdrop to the Carterton District, and nowhere are they better seen than from west of the main highway. A popular route is to head north on SH2, turn left onto Chester Road, travel right to the end, then turn left onto Norfolk Road and drive up to the Mt Holdsworth car park.

There's a lot to take in. On the main road at Clareville you can enjoy browsing at antiques and wooden gifts, wander through the gardens behind Clareville Nursery and then stop awhile beside the lake at the A&P Showgrounds on the corner of Chester Road. This is the site of the annual A&P Show at the end of October, a celebration of country life not to be missed.

Further up Chester Road and you'll see the entrance to Carterton Golf Club, one of the most beautiful courses around. It's a 72-par 18-hole course with some unique par 3 holes to challenge the keenest players.

A little further still you’ll find Awaiti and Daysh Gardens. From here, continue north and if you want, take a detour westward up the beautiful Mangatarere Valley a beautiful and dramatic valley where an unsealed road gives access to swimming holes and tramping tracks.

Further up Chester Road, about 4 km past Mangatarere Road, watch out for Parkers Road and visit master furniture craftsman Jeremy Bicknell, who makes beautiful furniture from oak, elm, ash, walnut and other traditional timbers. Just try sitting in one of his rocking chairs - you'll find it hard to leave!

At the end of Chester Road , turn left into Norfolk Road The view of Mt Holdsworth ahead of you is stunning. On your way towards Holdsworth Lodge and the entrance to Tararua Forest Park, watch for the pottery studio of Paul Melser (open Nov-March), and for Woven Hoven, where you'll find homespun garments for sale in wool, mohair and alpaca blends.

Further up, Norfolk Road becomes Mt Holdsworth Road , with dramatic views of the mountains ahead. Watch out for Riverleigh Lodge, where you could easily while away half a day enjoying tea or lunch in the garden beside the Atiwhakatu Stream. There are exotic birds and animals to see, and horse trekking is also provided.

At the end of the road is the entrance to Tararua Forest Park, with a large and well maintained camping area, picnic and barbecue sites, and an information office manned by DOC staff where you can pick up detailed route maps for the many walking tracks in the park.

The easiest walk is to Donnelly’s Flat, an open grassy area beside the river with picnic and camping facilities. This will only take one hour for the return journey. Other tracks of varying degrees of difficulty are detailed at the car park.

East Taratahi

On the eastern side of SH2, from the Waingawa River southwards and bordering the Ruamahanga River, the landscape is quite different from that west of the highway. Being further from the hills it is drier, and with its free-draining soil large areas have undergone a change from farming to viticulture, with thousands of new vines growing, and still more being planted.

Past the vineyards and down to the river and you reach a popular swimming spot at The Cliffs. Here you can swim, picnic or barbecue, and fish for trout. Don't forget your waders, and of course your fishing licence - and with a bit of luck you can wash down your grilled trout in the evening with a bottle of local Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

Gladstone & Longbush

Just a 10-minute drive east of Carterton is Gladstone known to many as ‘Scarecrow Country’ after the popular Scarecrow Festival that has put the farming community on the map.

As you come over the hill from Carterton and down into the Ruamahanga valley, watch for the Carter Scenic Reserve on your right. The reserve contains over 200 native plant species, with many native and introduced birds. There's a 30 minute walk including a boardwalk through a flooded kahikatea forest to the Ruamahanga River

Gladstone is an area of large farms, mostly sheep or beef, but you'll also come across people raising deer, emu, goats and horses. It is also the home of two of the region's major vineyards, so you can enjoy wine tasting and at Gladstone Vineyard listen to live music while you enjoy a meal in the vineyard café during the summer.

After crossing the Ruamahanga River a notable landmark is the Gladstone Inn, where you can meet the locals, enjoy a drink or a meal inside or outside, and admire the dramatic views of the cliffs and surrounding countryside.

Continuing east you'll arrive at the "centre" of Gladstone , where the roads from Masterton and Martinborough meet. At this intersection you'll see the Wheelwright Shop, where the general store used to be. From here you can head off in one of several different directions, all offering spectacular scenery.

Turn right and travel through the rural district of Longbush and the Whangaehu River valley - it's really just a stream - and you will eventually reach Martinborough. On the way there are several cottages and homestays plus gardens to visit.

If you instead turn left at the Wheelwright Shop, there are more choices. Only 100 metres along there's a right turn into Admiral Road, leading to a most spectacular drive through steep hilly country with a wonderful variety of scenery to enjoy. The road, much of it through farmland, eventually brings you to Hinakura, south east of Martinborough.

Yet another is to drive 2-3 km further north-east, past Gladstone School and turn right onto what locals call the "east coast road". It's signposted to Te Wharau and Flat Point and offers even more spectacular scenery. After about 7 km watch out for the sign to the picturesque Kourarau Dam on your right, where you can picnic and enjoy the abundant bird life, as well as excellent trout fishing.

Coastal Carterton

A little way north of Gladstone School on the Masterton to Martinborough road, a right turn onto the Te Wharau road takes you past Kourarau and on a long, winding route through to the farming settlement of Te Wharau. The road passes through pine forests and dramatic hills and valleys with sundry diversions possible along the way.

From Te Wharau you head south-east through Lands End and more forests to finally crest the hills and descend to a long sweeping coastline with deserted beaches and rocky outcrops. Before you reach the coast the road forks. The left fork (to the north-east) takes you to Flat Point, where you can fish, walk, or just enjoy the dramatic seascapes. A new coastal subdivision has been established here and spacious sections with 180-degree ocean views are being developed.

The right fork takes you via Waimoana Station and its coastal cottages to the old established Glenburn Station, from where you can leave your car and enjoy a bracing beach walk to Honeycomb Rock, with its unusual "moon-crater" weathering pattern.

Another scenic route from Te Wharau takes you through more forests and scenic valleys to Homewood , past Ureti Point and a lesser known route to the popular Riversdale B e ach, east of Masterton.

And back to our starting point of Gladstone, if you take the road through Longbush and the Whangaehu Valley to Hinakura, you can then drive down the twisting Pahaoa Valley road, with its canyon-like cuttings and rocky outcrops, to Glendhu Rocks and more fishing, camping and walking opportunities. 

Western foothills

To the west of Carterton a network of quiet roads connects Belvedere, Dalefield, Mangatarere, Carrington and Matarawa, providing an enjoyable country drive.

Take Belvedere Road, west from beside Wild Oats Café, and continue about 3km to Cobden Road , then turn right. Take a stop at Fensham Reserve (corner of Haringa Rd and Cobden Rd ), a scenic gem for bush lovers. Owned by the Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society, it includes 19 hectares of regenerating forest and shrubland, 9 ha of primary forest and a further 3 ha of wetland in the process of restoration. A circuit track takes no more than an hour to walk and there is a superb lookout as well as picnic tables.

Two routes up into the hills are worthy of close inspection. If you follow Dalefield Road (off SH2) right to the very end, it leads into the Council's forestry area and the Kaipaitangata Stream catchment zone. Not far past the water treatment plant a track heads off to the left and takes you up to what must surely be the most superb viewpoint in Wairarapa, Mount Dick. From here, on a clear day, the eye can scan from north of Masterton as far as Lake Wairarapa in the south.

The district's most dramatic river gorge is the Waiohine Gorge, reached via Swamp Road (off SH2). Magnificent bush and mountain views abound as you drive upstream, with swimming holes, picnic sites, and several walking and tramping opportunities. There's a Loop Track which starts at Walls Whare at the road end, climbing through exotic plantations and regenerating bush.