Easter in the Wairarapa

Green hills near Martinborough



Left: Rutger, William and Landa at the beach
Right: William, Landa, Stacey and Rutger touring the gardens

Our first Easter in New Zealand was spent with friends Rutger and Landa, who kindly invited us to come spend Saturday with them in the town of Martinborough, located in a region called the Wairarapa. Known for rolling hills, wineries and charming provincial townships, this is a favorite area for Wellingtonians to get out of the big city for a weekend of relaxation.

It only takes a little over an hour to get to Martinborough, and then a moderate drive from there through farmland and wine country will get you to the ocean, where you'll get beautiful views of the rocky beaches and jagged coastline. This looked like a great place to go camping, fishing and boating (many people we saw were doing just that). We explored up and down the coast, stopping to look for seals, though we did not see any. Apparently they come into the area around November for breeding. We had tea at a really charming little place by the water, run by a mom and pop team...cannot remember the name but will come back and edit this when Stacey tells me (she remembers everything). After tea and biscuits, she showed us around her flower garden. The one shown below is called a protea, and it's the national flower of South Africa (obviously not a NZ native). I briefly considered encouraging her to plant more natives, then thought better of it. I'm glad I kept my know-it-all mouth shut this once. She was really proud of that garden and loved showing it off, and rightfully so.

That night, we had a nice dinner in town with R & L, then drove back to Wellington in the evening. I found myself wishing for more, as is often the case when we go exploring the countryside. A single Saturday is not nearly long enough to explore the Wairarapa. The seals are just one good excuse to go back, and there were many other neat features in the region that we did not get to see. So, a return trip is definitely in the works.

Speaking of Easter, the holiday closely resembles what we are used to in the United States. There are chocolate bunnies and springtime colours (though it's technically fall here now), and kids hunt for Easter eggs. We get more days off here in NZ (both Good Friday, and the Monday following Easter). Someone at work asked me why the U.S. doesn't give more holiday time for Easter, since the country is so "religious". I pointed out that although Americans love Christian holidays, we love money even more. If everyone had days off, productivity would slow and we can't have that can we? Here's some more strange culture-shock for you: Businesses are technically not allowed to be open on Easter Sunday in NZ, and are fined if they do. The trading ban deters most shops from doing business, but sadly a few chose to ignore the law and do it anyway. For big chains, a measly $1000 fine is not enough deterrent. Now, if it was $1K per store...hmmmm.

I discovered a new baked good that week as well when a co-worker "introduced" me to Hot Cross Buns, which are apparently considered a Easter tradition for Kiwis. When I mentioned them to my Mom over the phone, she knew exactly what they were and said you could get them from Kruta's bakery in Collinsville! Funny that they seemed so curious and foreign to me, only to discover that apparently they have them all over the place. Either way, they were still very tasty. However, I don't think they can compete with my favorite Kiwi brekkie item: Avocadoes and tomatoes on whole meal toast.