Martinborough
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| Martinborough | |
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| Population: | 1,400 |
| Territorial Authority | |
| South Wairarapa | |
Martinborough is the name of a town in South Wairarapa, a district in the Wellington region on the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 65 kilometres east of Wellington and 35 kilometres southwest of Masterton. The town has a population of about 1400 full-time inhabitants[1]. John Martin is regarded as the town’s founder and set out the first streets in the pattern of the Union Flag in the 19th century. A feature is the colonial architecture, one example of which is the historic Martinborough Hotel which was built in 1882.
Martinborough has a large number of vineyards producing wines, notably Pinot noir. Martinborough has a warm micro-climate, with hills to the East and West. Almost all of the vineyards are in a thin ribbon around two sides of the town, following a dry riverbed providing appropriate soils for viticulutre. Notable wineries include Te Kairanga, Palliser Estate Wines[2], Dry River, Martinborough Vineyard[3], Ata Rangi[4] and Craggy Range. During November, the region's wines are celebrated in the Toast Martinborough wine festival. This event temporarily enlarges the population by 10,000.
Other industries around Martinborough focus on traditional beef and sheep farming, growing olives, lavender and nuts, as well as the fishing at the near-by coast settlements of Ngawi and Cape Palliser. Tourism is an important factor for the town, and the information centre[5] is a good source of advice about accommodation, activities, wineries and where to eat. The international cooking school Le Cordon Bleu, in partnership with UCOL, has confirmed it will open its first New Zealand campus in Martinborough by 2009.
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