The 3 day weekend - Wairarapa wine, beer, shops and fun ☀️🍷🌻
It's high summer and Wairarapa has laid it on for Wellington Anniversary weekend. We're the summer place to be for these special weekend events - here are just some:
Outdoor Movie in the Vines 🍇🎦
Friday 19th January
Head to Le Grá Vineyard ( 5 mins north of Masterton) for an evening under the stars watching the classic, Mamma Mia, on the big screen. Bring your own picnic or order a Le Grá kitchen platter. Wine, beer, sodas, popcorn and hot chocolate will also be available.
Greytown Sidewalk Sale 🛍️
Saturday 20 January
This famous retail sale is the perfect way to spend a long weekend. Discover incredible bargains from Greytown's finest boutique stores and replenish your shopping energy at cafes and restaurants.
Hops in the Vines at Matahiwi Estate 🍺🍷🎵
Saturday 20 January
Craft beer meets fine wine. Bringing Brewtown’s laid back vibes to Wairarapa's vines. Only 5 mins from Masterton, enjoy lawn games, live bands, food trucks and a chill, sun-soaked line-up.
The Gladstone Sunflower Patch 🌻🌻🌻🌻
19, 20 & 21 January
Over 100,000 sunflowers to photograph, pick or picnic in! $2 entry and just $2 per stem. Grab a coffee or ice cream while you're there.
Read up all about the Long Weekend and Summer in Wairarapa here wairarapanz.com...
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
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