Downtime
With Easter coming up, Unlimited combed the country to find a few unique ways for time poor exec-types to unwind.
Thursday, March 25 2010 || Travel || BY Caitlin Sykes
Wine down
Could ‘slow wine’ be the next ‘slow food’? If you live at breakneck speed, a few hours ambling between vineyards on a bike might offer the perfect respite. And you don’t have to jump on a plane to France to do it; cycling tours are now offered in a number of New Zealand wine regions.
Entrepreneur Gretchen Bunny started March Hare Cycling (bunny–hare, geddit?) in October, aiming to lure locals, Wellingtonians and international tourists alike to wineries in the northern Wairarapa. Pick up a bike and a picnic basket loaded with local goodies at March Hare HQ, five minutes north of Masterton, then follow a self-guided, five-and-a-half kilometre cross-country trail that takes in four small wineries before ending up at Loop Line Olives, the olive grove owned by Bunny’s parents.
“Every single winery is different; they have all got their own personalities,” says Bunny. “The owners do it for the love; for the passion.”
Bunny grew up in the area but returned only recently to set up the business, after being made redundant from her IT recruitment job in Wellington. The former UK-based meat trader got the idea while living in the Hawke’s Bay, where she would often grab a few bikes and take visiting friends around local wineries.
“This part of the Wairarapa is a destination in itself and it’s sometimes overlooked, but it’s just such a magic little gem,” she says. “It’s authentic, low-key and unpretentious. It’s about taking your time and the enjoying the simple things in life — good friends and good wine.”
