Wairarapa ~ Castlepoint

When I look back at my childhood, the times I remember the most are special family moments and the memorable holidays and outings we took. We used to have family days on Sundays and we would hang out as a family doing things like making pancakes which ultimately turned into food fights, having wrestling matches with dad, going down to the beach, camping, skiing trips...the list goes on. But the main thing was spending that quality time together and making memories that last a lifetime! It's something that I have held dear to me and now that I have my own little growing family it's something that I now do with them. Let’s face it—life is busy! Between work and life responsibilities, the days pass us by in the blink of an eye. So it’s nice to dedicate one day a week devoted to spending it together as a family and it gives us an opportunity to explore our new backyard….the Wairarapa!

We started our family day out at The Offering Cafe in Greytown. This has been on my list of places to try here in the Wairarapa. Best part about moving to a new area is getting to try all the local eateries and find our favourites, which The Offering has now become. Whilst we arrived for lunch we couldn’t help ourselves and had a quick sneaky peak at their breakfast menu. This also got our taste buds salivating so we will definitely be back to try that too!

Arlo had his first Fluffy! Milk moustache and all! I had their special for the day, creamy coconut prawn linguine with chilli and tomatoes. Jake had the slow cooked spare ribs, which were cooked perfectly with the meat falling off the bone. Yum! 

 I loved the warm atmosphere of this place. It's also super child friendly with a great little play area and sunny courtyard with beautiful trees for shade out the front. If you are passing through Greytown and in need of a meal you can't go past The Offering.

Jake grew up in the Wairarapa and he shared some of his childhood memories of growing up there with Arlo and I over lunch. He mentioned visiting Castlepoint and since I had never been, we thought this would be a fantastic family outing for the day. He couldn’t believe that this whole time we’ve been together he’d never taken me there. So it was decided, Castlepoint was our next destination!

Castlepoint is only an hours drive from Masterton, which makes it perfect for a day trip. This is one of the prettiest beaches that I have ever visited and I can see why it’s been voted one of the country's top 10 most loved beaches. The scenery is spectacular! Truly beautiful landscape all around and probably one of the most photogenic places in New Zealand. We definitely got snap happy! 

We set off on the trail behind the carpark through the pines to Deliverance Cove, which gives great views back towards the lighthouse. About half way up we were greeted with this stunning view. I mean come on! Look how beautiful that is!!!

Things got pretty steep after that and we may have passed a warning sign telling us that we were no longer on a DOC track, but we wanted to get to the very top! Once we got to the top we were in awe! Possibly also a little scared of how high we were! I climbed out to the edge and managed to get this ultimate shot….all for the gram guys! (Happily knowing Arlo was safe in Jake's baby backpack on a more stable foundation).

On our way back down the hill, that's when it happened…that golden hour!!! We stopped to take a few photos. It was pure magic!

Jake told me that Castlepoint is quite well known for being windy but it seemed like we had visited on the perfect day as there was only a slight warm breeze. We finished our walk with a trip up to the Castlepoint Lighthouse, just in time for sunset. A definite must-do when you're in the area. The lighthouse is beautiful, but the view really adds to the experience. You look out over spectacular cliffs, inlaid with fossils, and watch the waves crash below you. The whole experience is breathtaking. This is wild and rugged New Zealand beach life at its best!