While you're here... take the long way home.
Greytown Garage doesn't have to end when the cars leave Main Street. If you love a good road, we've put together some of our favourite drives through the Wairarapa — winding roads, spectacular scenery, country stops and plenty of places worth pulling over for.
Drive 3: Southern Coast Backroads
Wind through rolling farmland, quiet backroads and elevated coastal lookouts before arriving at one of the North Island’s most dramatic shorelines. This rewarding southern drive captures the true rural heart of Wairarapa — wide landscapes, open skies, vineyard pockets and a spectacular coastal finale at Cape Palliser. Note this is a single road for approx 20km through farmland.
Route: Greytown → Pirinoa → Lake Ferry → Ngawi → Cape Palliser
Drive Time: Approx. 2.5 hours return from Greytown
Style: Scenic rural backroads with coastal destination
Best for: Scenic drive enthusiasts, photographers, nature lovers, adventurers explorers, those seeking something both wild and beautiful
Where to stay: The White Swan Hotel, Copthorne Hotel & Resort Solway Park, Waimeha Camping Village
Where to eat: Land Girl Pirinoa, Lake Ferry Hotel, Cape Palliser Bar & Grill
Must-do: Ngawi Fishing Village, Lake Ferry River Mouth, Cape Palliser Lighthouse
The Route in Detail: Starting from Greytown, head south and take the left turn onto Bidwill’s Cutting Road road towards Martinborough as you leave town. This road winds through some of the Wairarapa’s earliest European farming country, and is near to Pāpāwai, a highly significant historic Māori settlement.
A few KM out of Greytown you will pass Good Wool Hunting on your left, a popular place to stop if knitting is your thing.
Follow the road for 10 minutes before you begin to wind down the hill, and over the Ruamahanga River towards Martinborough. The sign of grapevines will confirm' your arrival into the famous wine village of Martinborough, with the renowned Palliser Vineyard on your left as you reach the edge of town.
Taste fabulous local wine or gin, sample locally made olive oil and stop in for a beer at the local brewery. All wrapped up in the beautiful charm of Martinborough’s colonial buildings and union jack design.
From Martinborough Square head south on Lake Ferry Road towards Pirinoa, its roughly 20 minutes until you reach The Land Girl cafe, a great stop for coffee and something freshly baked.
Continue south until you reach the left turn onto Cape Palliser Road. Follow this road along to the coast. Stop off at one of Wairarapa most magical walks Pūtangirua Pinnacles.
Continue along to coast to Cape Palliser for a climb up the 253 stairs to the famous Cape Palliser lighthouse. If the stairs don’t appeal, the coastal views will take your breath away. Keep an eye out for North Island’s largest fur seal colony as you continue along to Ngawi beach settlement. Return back to Lake Ferry Road and take a left towards the river mouth Hotel for lunch at the Lake Ferry Hotel.
Make your way back to Greytown either via Martinborough or take a detour around Lake Wairarapa to Featherston and back to Greytown.
For ‘What’s On’ in the region visit Destination Wairarapa.
Places to Stay, Eat and Explore
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![Exterior view of The White Swan pub with people on the sidewalk and on the balcony, green umbrellas over outdoor seating, two large trees in front, and potted plants along the sidewalk.]()
The White Swan Hotel Greytown
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![A woman wearing a pink dress and large red sun hat standing on a rocky beach, looking out at boats and the ocean under a partly cloudy sky, with a black handbag on her shoulder.]()
Ngawi Fishing Village
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![Two people holding ice cream cones and smiling inside a coffee shop, with a woman at the counter in the background and various jars and goods on shelves.]()
The Land Girl Pirinoa
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![Group of six elderly people sitting outdoors at a wooden table, enjoying drinks, in front of a dark blue building with white window frames, labeled 'lake ferry hotel'.]()
Lake Ferry Hotel
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![Two women hiking up a grassy hill with a coastal view of the ocean, beach, and lighthouse in the background.]()
Destination Wairarapa - Events and Attractions
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![Three women walking out of a shopping store called 'hall' carrying shopping bags.]()
Greytown Village
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![A lighthouse with red and white stripes on a cliff overlooking the ocean, with two people standing in front of it, waving.]()
Cape Palliser Lighthouse
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![A woman in a floral dress and large sun hat kneeling on a black sand beach, observing a resting seal with a backdrop of rugged cliffs, rolling hills, and ocean waves.]()
Lake Ferry River Mouth
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![Tall, jagged limestone cliffs in a canyon with sparse vegetation, under a clear blue sky.]()
Putangirua Pinnacles
