How to Get to Martinborough: A Complete Wine-Tour Guide from Wellington

Wellington may not be a major international airport — unless you’re flying in from Australia — but it’s an exceptional gateway to one of New Zealand’s most distinctive wine regions. It’s also the jumping‑off point for the Cook Strait ferry to the South Island and a vibrant destination in its own right. If you’re a wine lover spending a day or two in the capital, this guide is for you.

Just 80 minutes by car, or around two hours by public transport, lies the Martinborough wine district. It produces only about 1% of New Zealand’s total wine volume, yet punches far above its weight in quality and value, both locally and in export markets. Pinot Noir is the headline act — with several producers making wines that comfortably sit at Premier Cru Burgundy level — but the region offers far more than Pinot alone.

If you’d like a deeper sense of what’s here, you might enjoy this companion article:
Martinborough Wine District: More Than Pinot Noir
https://www.wineinsights.org/2523797_martinborough-wine-district-more-than-pinot-noir. It’s a useful resource when thinking about which cellar doors you’d like to visit.

While Martinborough is a distinct wine region in its own right, it actually sits within the broader Wairarapa wine region, which stretches from Opaki (just north of Masterton) through Gladstone and down to Martinborough. Within Martinborough itself there are three sub‑regions worth understanding before you plan your visit.

Martinborough Terrace is home to the highest concentration of cellar doors, and most are easily reached on foot or by bicycle.
Te Muna Road, to the southeast of town, is technically bike‑accessible if you’re fit, energetic, or on an e‑bike — but the narrow, winding approach road makes it a less relaxing ride. Most visitors will want a car.
Dry River Road, south of town off Lake Ferry Road, also requires a vehicle.

Another key factor is the day of the week you plan to visit. Very few Wairarapa cellar doors operate seven days, and there is no consistent pattern. Some, like Nga Waka, open Wednesday to Sunday. Others open Monday to Friday but close on weekends. Some open only on weekends, or Friday to Sunday. Opening hours vary too: 11am is common, but some start at 10am, others at noon. Many offer tastings by appointment only, while others run a hybrid model with scheduled guided tastings plus casual walk‑ins.

Public holidays are especially unpredictable — you must check in advance. The region simply doesn’t yet have the uniform, visitor‑centric cellar‑door culture you find in some overseas wine regions. I once had a New Year’s Day tour booking I couldn’t deliver to my usual standard because almost every cellar door decided to close. Visitors staying overnight in Martinborough may find restaurant hours similarly limited.

Your most reliable resource for checking cellar‑door hours is the Wairarapa Wine website, which lists producers and includes a helpful printable map (scroll down the page and click “After a map to print? Download one here”).

If you’re planning to use public transport, this will narrow your options and shape the kind of wine day you can realistically have. In practice, if you’re travelling from Wellington by train and returning the same way, you’ll be focusing on Martinborough for either a one‑day or two‑day visit. There is only one morning train that works for wine touring.

Outbound: Wellington → Featherston → Martinborough

On Saturdays and Sundays, the timing works reasonably well.
You take the 9.55am Wairarapa Line train from Wellington, arriving at Featherston at 10.55am. From there, transfer to the 200 bus at 11.05am — and make sure you board the one heading to Martinborough, not the one going north to Wairarapa Hospital in Masterton. You’ll arrive in Martinborough at 11.25am.

Landmark for the first bus stop into Martinborough (there is no bus stop sign)

If you’re happy to walk: Get off at the first stop on Kitchener Street (just before Princess Street). From there it’s a short stroll to your first tasting at Grava, or Tiwaiwaka where you can be swirling your first glass by 11.30am.

You’ll have time for a relaxed lunch and self‑guided tasting flight at either:

• Nga Waka (gourmet pizza), or
• Palliser Estate (fine dining)

Rear of the Nga Waka Cellar Door looking in from the Home Block vines

If you’re aiming for the 2pm guided tasting at Ata Rangi, Nga Waka is the faster option. Leave around 1.35pm and take the winery road to New York Street, left onto Princess, then right onto Huangarua Road at Margain — about a 20‑minute brisk walk. If you want a bit more time over lunch, Schubert on the corner of Huangarua and Cambridge Roads would be a great next stop

After Ata Rangi or Schubert, you can return to Margrain on the corner of Princess St & Huangarua Rd, or, if “natural”, “orange”, “experimental”, and “avant‑garde” wines appeal, head to Cambridge Road for a taste “on the wild side”.

If you prefer not to walk: Stay on the bus until closer to the Square. From Green Jersey there you can rent:

• Regular bikes – $40/day
• E‑bikes – $75/day
• Crocs (2, 4, or 6‑seater pedal carts) – $80 to $210/day

By the time you’ve sorted your wheels, you’ll likely start around 12 noon, which may mean one fewer winery — but you can still enjoy a relaxed lunch and tasting at Nga Waka or Palliser and comfortably make the 2pm Ata Rangi appointment if that’s your plan.

With a bike or Croc, more of the region opens up. Wineries along Puruatanga Road become easy to reach, including the following which all have lunch options:

• Poppies
• Luna Estate
• Moy Hall
• Colombo (on Todds Road)

Return: Martinborough → Featherston → Wellington

The main bus stop to return to Featherston station next to Kitchener St BP

Your return bus leaves Martinborough at 4.55pm from the corner of Kitchener and Ohio Streets (next to the BP). This connects with the 5.25pm train from Featherston, arriving back in Wellington at 6.25pm. If the weather is kind, sit on the left‑hand side facing forward for beautiful views over Lake Wairarapa before the tunnels.

Things are not quite as convenient Monday to Friday. Your only usable morning train departs Wellington at 8.21am, arriving at Featherston at 9.21am. Unfortunately, the connecting 200 bus doesn’t arrive until 10.05am, so you’ll have a 45‑minute wait at the station. The bus reaches Martinborough about 10.30am.

Even with that slower start, you can still make an 11am guided tasting at Oraterra, Nga Waka, or Palliser Estate — even if you plan to rent bikes on arrival. From there, you can enjoy lunch at either Nga Waka or Palliser, or head down Puruatanga Road to Poppies or Moy Hall if you prefer something more vineyard‑side.

Your afternoon, however, will be tighter than on weekends. The return bus to Featherston — the only one that connects with the single train back to Wellington — leaves Martinborough at 3.40pm. That means you’ll need to plan your final tasting with a bit of discipline to ensure you’re back at the bus stop in time.

If you decide to rent a car, your options open up considerably. You can leave Wellington whenever it suits you, return at your own pace, and reach cellar doors that are otherwise difficult without a vehicle. With a car you can comfortably include Te Muna Road wineries such as Escarpment, head out Dry River Road to Coney, or venture 30 minutes north to Gladstone, where Urlar is a true one‑of‑a‑kind experience. You can even continue as far as Opaki for a tasting and platter at Le Gra.

The stunning Urlar winery and cellar door

However, driving comes with some important cautions.

You’ll need a designated driver who fully abstains, or — if you’re driving yourself — you’ll need to be disciplined about spitting during tastings. Every cellar door provides spittoons, but not every visitor is comfortable using them consistently.

The drive from Wellington crosses the Remutaka Range, which in good weather offers spectacular views but also includes narrow sections, tight corners, and the occasional encounter with logging trucks. In poor weather, slips or high winds can make the road more challenging. Once in the Wairarapa, many country roads are narrow and require confident handling.

If you’re used to driving in the UK or Australia, this may feel familiar. But if you normally drive on the right‑hand side, the combination of unfamiliar roads, rural conditions, and the concentration required can detract from the relaxation and enjoyment a wine‑tasting day is meant to offer.

If you’re happy juggling logistics, driving, and timing, self‑guiding works well. If you’d rather focus entirely on the wine and the experience, there is an easier way.  Let me take all the hassle out of your wine trip. I can curate a half‑day, full‑day, or two‑day experience, make all the winery bookings, handle the driving, and guide you through the region from a wine professional’s perspective rather than a generic tour‑guide script. You get to relax, taste at your own pace, ask every wine question you’ve ever wanted to ask, and know your purchases are stored safely in a cool bin until the end of the day.

Because I work closely with cellar doors across Martinborough and the wider Wairarapa, I know who’s open when, which venues offer the best hospitality, and where the most interesting wines are being poured. I have a set of trusted favourites I use regularly, but if you tell me about your interests in advance, I can tailor the day entirely around what you enjoy.

I offer one‑day Martinborough and Greater Wairarapa tours with pick‑up and drop‑off at your Wellington hotel, or — especially handy on weekends — I can pick you up in the morning and drop you at Featherston Station for an easy train ride back to the city. If you want a deeper, more comprehensive look at the region, I can design a fully customised two‑day itinerary that covers the best of the Wairarapa.

Unlike many operators, I only run small‑group tours: usually a maximum of four guests, with up to six available by arrangement. I welcome solo travellers, and I can accommodate couples travelling with a young child, provided we have a quick conversation about expectations beforehand. You’ll travel with me in a comfortable SUV — not a bus or van.

But the real point of difference is the wine knowledge you get access to. I’m not a generalist tour guide who happens to include wine stops. I’m a wine educator with professional qualifications, deep regional insight, and years of study, tasting, and travel behind me. My tours are designed to be relaxed, personal, and genuinely wine‑focused — the kind of experience that leaves you with stories, understanding, and a real sense of place.