Greytown - a small and perfectly delicious little town

Greytown (just an hour from Wellington)  is a pretty town with huge old trees, lady-like Victorian wooden homes and upmarket stores showing off nicely down the Main St. 

But looks aren’t everything are they - located at the heart of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail,  Greytown is a tasty little jewel too.

Arriving from the north in autumn you hit a little zone of fruit and vegetable  stores –   local winter nellis pears, pumpkins and huge bins of locals apples look and taste great.

Into town and calorie central - pastries at the French Baker. Top tip here is get a selection and have them cut up on a big plate (apparently you then have to share with your chums)  Don’t miss the coffee éclairs and the huge range of artisan breads.

Next door is Bar Salute where the tapas menu shows off  Wairarapa produce and the wine list twinkles with Wairarapa stars. 

More treasures include the White Swan, the Greytown Butchery, the Main Street Deli and Schoc Chocolates. 

A visit to Schoc is a life changing experience - try the extraordinary lime chili chocolate. 

But wait there’s more - Greytown is a sopshicated shopping gem. Small owner-operated stores offer a range of distinctive products.  British Pashley bikes from Blackwell and Sons, linen from Lativa at Linarte, gorgeous handpainted ceramics from Oggi Domani, organic produce from the farm owned by famous local James Cameron at Food Forest Organics are just some examples. No wonder that Wellingtonians flock to Greytown each weekend. 

Greytown is just one hour drive from Wellington (so a great day trip) combine it with a visit to neighbouring Martinborough (just 15 minutes away) . 

On the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail Greytown is just 3 and a half hours from Napier.

For information about the Wairarapa visit: www.wairarapanz.com