The White Swan
Hit the road, Jack HEAD FOR WAIRARAPA
Put HELEN PERRY behind the wheel of a car, point her in the direction of a country road and it’s likely she’ll head off into the sunset or, as on one recent occasion, the Wairarapa! Yes, when the opportunity arose to visit Greytown and Martinborough for the first time, the car was readied and she was off!
I once thought, ‘I’ve been everywhere man’, when it comes to touring Aotearoa, but, of course, I knew there were many pockets which had escaped my attention over the years including the Wairarapa – until last month, that is. Determined not to let this summer, or any unexpected Covid-19 developments, get in the way of holiday escapes, I told man about the house, I’d booked us a 5-6 day road trip heading first to Whakapapa Village at Mt Ruapehu. I know, I know, there’s no snow in February but I’m more a Pacific sun girl than a winter snow queen. So, on spotting Chateau Tongariro’s celebration package in the heart of summer, I booked a stopover on our way to Greytown – you’re never too old, or married so long as to turn down champagne,
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chocolates, a three-course dinner and a stupendous breakfast all in the price of an overnight stay. And, these days, where can you sit in an elegant hotel lounge, sip a port and just let the beautiful music of pianist, Peter Parkinson take you up a Moon River, to New York, New York and on to the hills of Austria to pick Eidelweiss? Those were just three of the many wonderful serenades from across the decades that this talented pianist delivered over several hours – it was my idea of 7th heaven. Of course, this ‘music of the night’ added to the genteel ambience of the Chateau where I found it difficult to fault the charm, the service and the views – a picture window in the lounge frames Mt
Ngaruhoe perfectly. Our room décor was stylish, indeed refined, however the bathroom, despite being well maintained, needed updating – tiling would do wonders. But that never detracted from our stay. There were so many niceties and I did like the dress code in the main dining room which required men to wear long trousers at dinner – no shorts or jandals. It just bought a sense of formality to the dinner hour – neckties, on this occasion were not required! Furthermore, our three-course meal was right up to expectations – plenty of choice and mouthwateringly good! The next day, after one of the most sumptuous breakfast buffets I
have ever seen – hot dishes, cold cuts, fresh fruit, cut fruit, cereals, pastries, pancakes, even bread and butter pudding plus a whole lot more – we set out for Greytown.
OVER THE HILLS AND WHAT A STAY… If the drive from Taupo to Chateau Tongariro was beautiful – stunning scenery in every direction – the on-going journey, taking the rear route through pretty Ohakune to Feilding then over the Pahiatua Saddle from Ashurst through to Woodville before tracking south via Eketahuna, Masterton, and Carterton to Greytown, was just as enthralling. Close encounters with giant windmills was quite an experience and, again, the outlook in so www.eastlife.co.nz
