Sunday 5th June 2022
Location: The track starts 1 km from the eastern end of Dublin Street on Shooting Butts Road, Martinborough 5784 (we didn't find it hard to find and Mum was driving :P)
*Sep-Nov closed for lambing
This is a spectacular 4km countryside loop walk. We were lucky to have our little cousins join us (Master 1 & 3). Uncle Jim is from the UK and said it reminded him of the walks back home, the only thing missing was a country pub. Luckily Martinborough has you covered when you return :)
Once we'd gotten everyone ready and climbed over the first stile (of which there are several), we weren't quite sure which direction to go (we didn't notice the yellow markers on the Start Here signpost). Miss 7 wasn't bothered because she found a big pile of tree debris to explore.
Once exploration had finished, we decided to follow the fence-line northwards (which was the right call). Master 1 looked snug and happy as a clam in the backpack.
There are yellow markers showing the way a little further up. We decided to walk clock-wise around the loop.
Master 3 thought this was the best adventure! He stopped to admire all of the animals, the leaves and insects. He also found an interesting rusty (and very heavy) tool which he decided needed to accompany us on the walk.
There's a little hill at the top of the loop, nothing that Master 3 could not achieve by himself. We did stop halfway up for some crackers and a drink of water.
There's a sign at the top, from here you can go left to the lookout or right to complete the loop. We're always into a view and would recommend doing that little extra boost.
We had to walk through a field with lots of cows to get to the lookout. The kids were weary at first but once they realised the cows were not interested in us at all everyone was happy to walk without holding hands.
The view over Te Muna Valley was breath-taking! It even had a seat :)
We retraced our steps back to the sign and down the hill. Master 3 was getting a little bit tired, but we are well versed at walking with little ones, so we found the lollies in the bottom of the backpack which had him perk up almost immediately.
Spectacular! Great for all ages. Master 3 walked the entire way! So proud - it must run in the family hehe.
Thanks Martinborough!!
Age of Kids: Miss 7 and Master 3 &1
Walking Time: 1-2 hours
Distance: 4km
Difficulty: Easy
Wet Feet: Not unless you go off track into a bog. We'd recommend sturdy footwear.
Amenities: There is a seat at the lookout.
Dogs: Dogs not allowed (it's a farm).
Cellphone Reception: No