Martinborough is well known for its fine wines and picturesque vineyards, but what is there for visitors who don't - or can't - enjoy a tipple? Heavily pregnant Hannah Henderson of NZPA set off with her designated drinker to find out.
When you think of Martinborough you think of wine, but do all the delights of this small south Wairarapa village come in a glass?At eight months pregnant I set out to prove there was more to the town than wine, and found that both it and the surrounding region have plenty on offer.
Martinborough is recovering from a recent blow that saw it lose a proposed cordon bleu cooking school to Wellington.
Most locals had been excited about what would have been an economic boost for the town, but a resident complained, things got messy and the plug was pulled on the project.
This was a real disappointment for the local community, Martinborough Hotel owner Mike Laven says.
But they are a resilient bunch because like the grape harvests, a region centred on winemaking will always have good years and bad years - depending on the weather.
"The mood fluctuates quite dramatically," Mr Laven says.
"It is always going to have its ups and down. We had a couple of years when Greytown was developing that Martinborough was affected, but it has come back."
There is certainly no shortage of visitors on this weekend - shops and cafés are doing a good trade and people are wandering, cycling or driving around at a leisurely pace.
For a small village there are plenty of cafés and a good selection of shops with no shortage of things to buy - jewellery, clothes, gifts, delicious bread, cheeses and of course wine.
The golf course is also popular.
There is a gentle pace to the town, though the serenity is occasionally interrupted by the roar of an engine - Martinborough being popular with motorcyclists and car enthusiasts (the winding Rimutaka Hill road is a fun drive, apparently).
It helps that there is plenty to do around the rest of South Wairarapa.
The surrounding countryside makes for a pleasant drive - a short hop around the vineyards, a trip to nearby Greytown's boutique shops or a longer jaunt out to the coast to visit the Putangirua pinnacles and the Cape Palliser lighthouse among the options.
Having explored the village shops we decide it would be wrong not to include some wine-related activities in our Martinborough weekend so head off to watch a short film which doubles as a wine tasting.
The Vintners Choice plays every afternoon at Circus, the town's boutique cinema. The 45-minute film features an entertaining balance of history of the region and wine information.
It profiles some of the eccentric winemakers pivotal in Martinborough's transformation from a farming town on the verge of extinction in the late 1970s to the buzzing place it is today, with 57 wineries in the region.
And then the best bit - after some tips on how to sniff and taste, viewers are directed to each of the six wine glasses in a nifty tray attached to their armrest.
The film is cleverly structured so by the time the tasting begins the viewer is really ready for a tipple. Or in my case, a sniff, which is perhaps almost a sob at times because the wines smell amazing.
"These are going straight to my head," the designated drinker whispers cheerfully, after drinking my share as well as his own.
"That's nice dear," I reply.
Seriously though, the film (at $25 per head) is well worth a look. It's a good way to learn a little bit and taste some (apparently) really nice wines without having to drive around vineyards or worry about looking like a wine dunce in front of the experts.
For those who don't, or can't, enjoy that kind of tasting, a whole different kind of delight awaits in nearby Greytown at Schoc Chocolates.
Set in a quaint 1920s confectionery store we can't help but feel like kids in a candy store, with the look and smell of the delights on offer setting the senses alight.
Roger Simpson, who co-founded Schoc with Murray Langham, explains that Schoc does chocolate differently from everyone else.
For a start, chocolate is in itself savoury, not sweet, he says. Schoc's owners are very health conscious and keen to bust the myths surrounding chocolate.
Well-made chocolate has many health benefits. It is naturally full of antioxidants and feel-good chemicals and does not have to be high in sugar and saturated fats.
Schoc chocolates contain no preservatives, other than sugar, and use organic ingredients wherever possible.
The pair have produced two books on the psychology of chocolate and run chocolate therapy sessions.
"Chocology looks at the psychology of shape and flavour, what it means to be a raspberry person as opposed to a peppermint, for example."
Even here you can't totally escape wine, with pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon truffles - all made with local wine - among the array of delights.
There are all the flavours you'd expect and plenty that you wouldn't. Lime chilli still has the most shock value, Mr Simpson says.
Other less traditional blends include sea salt, pink peppercorn, Earl Grey tea, smoked paprika and sweet basil.
All flavours are available to be tasted, and there's no time like the present, so as tough a job as it is we set about tasting some of the delicious offerings and making some purchases.
One tablet I leave with is a dark chocolate blended with lavender, which Mr Simpson says can be soothing for women during labour - sounds more pleasant than an epidural so I'm prepared to give it a try.
Satisfied we've met our health food requirements for the day we head back to Martinborough to settle in for the night at Peppers Martinborough Hotel, the town's landmark building, next to the square.
The rooms are comfortable but the real charm of the hotel is the building itself (built in 1882 and refurbished in 1996), with a library and other rooms where guests can relax in front of the fire and feel transported back to a time when a more civilised pace of life was the norm.
The other huge plus is the restaurant, with head chef Tennesse Liumaihetau preparing exquisite food, much of it sourced from local produce.
Well-rested after our country weekend escape we head back to city life and the joys of parenthood that lie ahead.
Next time we visit there will be three of us, and the designated drinker will switch roles to designated driver, so I can enjoy the aspects of the region I couldn't experience this time.
There is plenty to do for non-drinkers, but the wine is so good it would be rude not to.
