To The Wairarapa

by chris cunningham

Sunday driving up to the wine country. It’s kinda like this… leave L.A., drive through the grapevine, and end up in Napa Valley. Except it’s; leave Wellington, drive through the Rimutaka range, and end up in the Wairarapa. Same thing really. Just no 5 hour drive through the central valley. Did I buy wine? No, but I bet you can guess what I bought at the big apple by the side of the road. According to the sign… “On November 26th 1841, a party led by Robert Stokes and John W. Child, and with two Maori guides, made the first european crossing of the Rimutaka range into the Wairarapa. Took me less than 45 minutes without Maori guides, so what’s the big deal? You wouldn’t know it, but the wind is blowin’ close to a million miles an hour. And the sheep said “what?”.