MARTINBOROUGH Martinborough is a surprise town. The Martinborough Township is off the main roads and easily missed. Travelers must choose to go to Martinborough. Martinborough is the wine ‘capital’ of the Wairarapa and is a destination point for the Wellington café set who descend en masse each weekend. To quote from Wikipedia; “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 the vineyards are in thin ribbons around the northern and eastern sides of the town, and on the Dry River to the south. All follow dry riverbeds, which provide appropriate soils for viticulture. Notable wineries include Te Kairanga, Tirohana Estate, Palliser Estate Wines, Dry River, Martinborough Vineyard, Murdoch James, Ata Rangi, Craggy Range and Alana Estate. During November, the region's wines are celebrated in the Toast Martinborough wine festival. This event temporarily enlarges the population by 10,000.” Martinborough is a very pretty town that is planned and well presented community that delights with connection to the wine industry. A 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. Many of the town's streets are named after foreign cities visited by Martin. The Martinborough Hotel is located at the town square. Martinborough has a war Memorial located at the Memorial Gardens. The Martinborough Museum is open most days. Martinborough has representations of most churches with the Catholic and Anglican having good presence. To enjoy the best the wineries have to offer allow two days for this gem of a place.