Tourist First: Martinborough: Quiet Charm and Good Wine

Friday, April 7, 2023

Martinborough: Quiet Charm and Good Wine

Martinborough's covered sidewalks echo small-town life of a century ago.

When we arrived in New Zealand we had no intention of going to Martinborough. We didn't even know it existed. But when Cyclone Gabielle in February 2023 closed our intended hotel in Napier in the Hawkes Bay wine region and all the roads leading to it, we had to find other places for three nights. We were in Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsula when we realized we had to change plans, and a restaurant owner there suggested Martinborough.

It turns out that Martinborough, which is less than an hour and a half from Wellington, our last destination on the North Island, is a tiny but charming farm town with some good wineries nearby. We arrived from Taupo (another hastily added stop) in time to walk the half mile or so from the Martinborough Hotel to Palliser Estate winery where we enjoyed flights of sauvignon blanc, pinot noir rose, pinot gris, chardonnay and pinot noir. I had no need for the bucket where unwanted wines are dumped.

Since we had only one night here, we made things easy on ourselves and had dinner at our hotel, which was smart since its Union Square restaurant is excellent.

Here are some photos from our too-short stay:

Despite gray skies during our brief visit, people enjoyed being outdoors.

That wrought-iron arch is at an entrance to a park that is the center of Martinborough. Our
hotel is at left, and at right is the road that we walked down to Palliser Estate winery,

Our room was in a newer section on a
courtyard so we didn't need to use
this staircase in the lobby of the
Martinborough Hotel.

Our tasting at Palliser Estate winery included
three whites, a rose and a red.

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Argentine Patagonia

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Dominica

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Palm Springs

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St. Vincent

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