Jet Productions
Destination Wairarapa are a team of storytellers. We look to let more people know about our region, through words we craft and images we develop and distribute.
There’s always something happening in the Wairarapa, with new products, experiences, and upcoming events. We’re here to help you with any regional media enquiries. Please get in touch if you require Wairarapa information, imagery or video content.
Barb Hyde, Marketing Manager: barb@wairarapanz.com
- LONELY PLANET STARGAZING AWARD
- REGIONAL IMAGE LIBRARY
- VIDEO
- WAIRARAPA BRAND COPY
- CLASSIC NZ WINE TRAIL
- WAIRARAPA VISITOR GUIDE & WINE MAP
Wairarapa Reaches for the Stars with Global Accolade - Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2026
Wairarapa’s stargazing, food and wine have been named one of the world’s top 25 experiences for 2026 by Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel—the only New Zealand experience to make this list.
Best in Travel is Lonely Planet’s annual celebration of where to go and what to experience in the year ahead. The 2026 edition spotlights Wairarapa’s stargazing, food and wine on their list of 50 essential picks worldwide.
Lonely Planet highlights Wairarapa as not “just an after-hours destination” but a place where both day and night deliver unforgettable experiences. By day, Wairarapa offers award-winning food and wine, boutique shopping, outdoor adventures, and charming towns with plenty of accommodation options. At night, visitors can step outside and marvel at the pristine skies, or join guided tours led by expert local astronomers.
DARK SKY IMAGE & B-ROLL LIBRARY
LONELY PLANET BEST IN TRAVEL F.A.Q.s
For more info and imagery / video please contact Barb Hyde, Marketing Manager: barb@wairarapanz.com Ph. +64 27 227 2130
ABOUT WAIRARAPA
A place of big skies, wild landscapes and village charm, all within easy reach of Wellington. From the rugged coastlines to the rolling hills, Wairarapa is a region that captivates the senses. Whether you're seeking adventure or relaxation, Wairarapa offers a perfect blend of natural wonders and rural charm.
Where we are: Wairarapa lies in the south-east corner of the North Island, east of Wellington and south-west of Hawke’s Bay. The region is just over an hour’s drive from Wellington International Airport and inter-Island ferry connections. There is also a daily train service between Wellington and the Wairarapa towns of Featherston, Greytown, Carterton and Masterton.
Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve: Wairarapa became an International Dark Sky Reserve in 2023. The Reserve currently covers Carterton and South Wairarapa districts, and is aiming to expand to Masterton.
Classic New Zealand Wine Trail: New Zealand’s leading wine and food journey through three of New Zealand’s wine regions – Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa, and Marlborough – and the capital city Wellington.
Wairarapa Dark Sky Image Library: Wairarapa images can be used for your own promotional purposes as you promote Wairarapa through your channels. Please credit the photographer, all credits are included in the file name of each image. Images are low resolution, if you require high resolution images please email web@wairarapanz.com
Wairarapa images can be used for your own promotional purposes as you promote Wairarapa through your channels. Please credit the photographer, all credits are included in the file name of each image. Images are low resolution, if you require high resolution images please email web@wairarapanz.com
Wairarapa videos can be used for your own promotional purposes as you promote Wairarapa through your channels. Please be sure to credit the videographer, all credits are included in the video file names.
This copy captures the region and speaks to our four brand pillars.
Wairarapa is a region full of character, where country warmth meets world-class food and wine. A place of big skies and warm, intimate experiences. Wildly different experiences are close together here. Reconnect in a cosy retreat or go a little bit wild in our wide-open spaces. Explore our pristine night skies in our Dark Sky Reserve. All at the heart of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail.
Our four brand pillars:
Village charm
Our historic towns are fun to explore and full of hidden gems – from vintage boutiques and cellar doors to craft markets and pretty parks. Close together but utterly unique, they're bursting with character and small enough to get around on foot or by bike.
Wild contrasts
Shake off the city and refresh your senses. Wairarapa's a bit wild, from its rugged coastline to the bush-clad Tararua Range Experience our four seasons through outdoor adventures that can be epic or bite-sized.
Always exploring
This region's always been a magnet for explorers, from early Māori and Pākehā to today's adventurers and artists swapping city life for wider horizons. This is a place to forge new paths and follow your dreams.
Passionate producers
Wairarapa is full of gourmet delights and fanatical foodies. Our hands-on growers, makers, and bakers are masters of their craft. Whether they're family farmers or gutsy newcomers putting twists on tradition, the watchword's quality - not quantity.
This self-drive touring route along State Highway 2 is vital in delivering visitors to the region, and it's a route you can help promote in your own marketing.
Classic New Zealand Wine Trail Official Website
Short:
The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail – unforgettable wine and food experiences.
Wairarapa is at heart of the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail – where you'll discover unforgettable wine and food experiences.
Medium:
The Classic New Zealand Wine Trail serves up unforgettable wine and food experiences along the signposted 380km (240 miles) route. Encompassing Hawke's Bay, Tararua, Wairarapa, Wellington and Marlborough, the drive links three of New Zealand's leading wine regions that account for more than 80% of the country's wine production.
Long:
Memorable tasting experiences bring the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail to life and travellers are taken off the beaten track. Visit Hawke's Bay for fabulous reds, Art Deco architecture and wildlife tours; explore the vineyards and historic towns of the Wairarapa region; shop, dine and be entertained in Wellington; catch the ferry to Marlborough where you can fish, kayak the waterways of the Marlborough Sounds and find your way to over 35 cellar doors.
Rural towns, beautiful forest parks, and buzzing nightlife, combined with the farmers' markets, restaurants and cafes, and artisan food producers you'll encounter along the way, the Classic New Zealand Wine Trail offers a unique and tasteful way to travel New Zealand.
Visitors find this guide and map very useful, with its compact map and details of all the cellar doors and other attractions too.
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