Winemaking in Wairarapa started in 1897 when the French wife of an early settler, William Beetham produced the region’s first Pinot Noir. However, prohibition in the early 1900s meant that no more wines were produced until the late 1970s. Whilst the best known sub-region of Wairarapa is undoubtedly the town of Martinborough, there is so much to be seen in the countryside north, that we are devoting this guide to…I’m assuming that you have arrived from the north – Hawke’s Bay borders Wairarapa, but it’s just as likely that you’ve come on a trip from Wellington. Either way, there’s almost too much to see and do here in one day, that it probably deserves a couple of days on its own, aside from the attractions of Martinborough.