|
MASTERTON NEW ZEALAND
Masterton is located in the Wairarapa
region of New Zealand. Located in the south east of
the North Island, Masterton is just an hour away from
the capital city, Wellington. You can see working farms,
country gardens, and wild coastline complete with seal
colonies.
You'll be awed by the region's unique natural heritage.
The rugged Tararua Mountains to the west and the wild
Pacific Ocean to the east create a sense of isolation
and wonder. The untamed coastline from Palliser Bay
in the south to Akitio in the north is rich in Maori
mythology.
Discover New Zealand's rarest birds at Mt Bruce National
Wildlife Centre, or watch seals at Cape Palliser where
famous Maori explorer 'Kupe' landed. A full range of
classic kiwi adventures are on offer from jet boating
to hot air ballooning, from superb fishing to surfing.
Wairarapa has always lived off the land and today the
region's wine and food make it a treasure trove for
gourmets. Diners can sample anything from venison to
mushrooms, berry fruit to crayfish, eels to olives.
Discover the wine the world raves over in Martinborough
Wine Village, famed for its international award-winning
Pinot Noir.Celebrate at one of Wairarapa's quality events.
Toast Martinborough, New Zealand's most exclusive wine,
food and music event, takes place amongst the vineyards
of Martinborough. Carterton Daffodil Carnival is a local
tradition since 1920 with seven acres of daffodils open
to the public for picking. For the complete country
horse racing experience try the Tauherenikau Race Days.
Or you can choose from big game fishing, river fishing
and surf casting in the Fishing Contests held over summer.
Masterton is a town (and local government district)
in the Wellington region of New Zealand. It is the largest
town in the Wairarapa, a geographical region that is
separated from metropolitan Wellington by the Rimutaka
ranges. It is 100 kilometres north-east of Wellington,
28 kilometres south of Eketahuna, and stands on the
Ruamahanga River. Masterton is a thriving community
with an urban population of 19,900, and district population
of 23,100 (June 2008 estimates).[1] It did not quite
qualify to be a city by 1989 when the minimum population
requirement for that status was lifted from 20,000 to
50,000. The Wairarapa Line railway, which opened to
Masterton on 1 November 1880, allows many residents
easy access to work in the cities of Wellington, Lower
Hutt and Upper Hutt.Named after pioneer Joseph Masters,
it was first settled by Europeans on 21 May 1854. It
gained borough status in 1877, and the Masterton District
is now part of the Greater Wellington Region.Local industries
involve service industries for the surrounding farming
community. The town is the headquarters of the annual
Golden Shears sheep-shearing competition.
Transport
Masterton, being a relatively small rural town in New
Zealand, is very well served by public transport with
rail, bus and air links. Despite Masterton and the Wairarapa
valley being reasonably close to Wellington, they are
separated by the Rimutaka Ranges with State Highway
2 cutting a winding hill road through the range and
the Rimutaka railway tunnel. Unlike other parts of the
country, the Wairarapa has seen passenger rail services
remain largely due to it's proximity to Wellington and
the Rimutaka Tunnel's advantage over the Rimutaka Hill
road. There has been conjectural talk of constructing
a road tunnel through the ranges for decades, but this
has been ruled out due to the extremely high cost. According
to the latest transportation plan from the Greater Wellington
Regional Council, the only work planned is for upgrades
to the existing Rimutaka Hill road and the addition
of passing lanes between Featherston and Masterton.
Rail
Masterton is linked to Wellington and the Hutt Valley
by the Wairarapa Connection, a Tranz Metro passenger
service run by Greater Wellington Region's Metlink,
primarily operating at peak times serving commuters
from Masterton and the Wairarapa with five return services
Monday to Thursday, six on Friday and two for weekends
and public holidays. Unusually for a small town, there
are three railway stations in the town with Masterton,
Renall Street and Solway.
Bus
There is a local Metlink bus service in Masterton operated
by Tranzit. The buses operate on 5 routes: 3 suburban
routes and two regional routes.
Air
The Hood Aerodrome, Masterton is south of Masterton.
From late 2008, Air New Zealand will be offering flights
from Masterton to Auckland. The flights will be operated
by subsidiary Eagle Air flying six days a week mainly
to serve business customers in the Wairarapa.. There
have been a few unsuccessful attempts at commercial
air travel in Masterton over the years mostly due to
it's proximity to major airports in Wellington and Palmerston
North. The most significant being South Pacific Airlines
of New Zealand (SPANZ) who operated daily flights using
DC3s out of Hood Aerodrome with during the sixties to
other destinations nationwide until the airline's closure
in 1966. |
