Fifteen minutes from Masterton, Pukaha Mount Bruce has fostered a reputation of being New Zealand’s most established and successful wildlife and captive breeding centre. Strung across  942 hectares of ancient podocarp forest, it’s a national ark for many endangered species including the takahe, kokako, kaka and our national icon, the kiwi. A huge draw is the novelty of seeing a little white kiwi, Manukura – the only one in the world.

She is white due to her rare recessive white gene. Manukera can be viewed in the new Kiwi House, which also houses North island brown kiwi. Any chicks she may have will be released into the Pukaha forest, as part of the centre’s kiwi conservation breeding programme.  I enjoyed a walk-through of Pukaha with the centre manager, Helen Tickner, who passionate zeal and wry humour about her vast menagerie was infectious.

A masterstroke in the Pukaha experience is the variety of talk and feed sessions, sprinkled throughout the day, which encompasses all of the exhibits, from the noble tuatara and fascinating eels, to the kiwi and frenetic birdlife. Don’t miss the Kaka Talk, which should probably be renamed the Kaka Circus, because these ridiculously intelligent parrots certainly know how to work a crowd and impishly play the clown. Just before feeding time, a flock of kaka hanging out in the trees, decided to buzz the gathering crowd with some close-shave aerial dive-bombing. Totally harmless but irresistably mischevious. 

But if it’s your first visit to Pukaha, or haven’t been for a while, the runaway blockbuster attraction is the brand new Free Flight Aviary. Costing over a million dollars, and only opened in May 2016, my conversation with Helen was soon drowned out by the cacophony of native bird song. Helen calls the aviary “bubble of nature”, because it’s a microcosm of how our native bush should sound – if it wasn’t for the predators. The aviary has been ingeniously designed as a snapshot of restored native forest and it certainly makes you realise how starkly quiet our forests have become. 

Naturally landscaped with transplanted semi-mature trees and predator-proof mesh, it was designed by the people behind The Cloud in Auckland. Structured in a flowing shape and surprisingly large, a leisurely walk around this undulating aviary, with a trickling mountain stream replete with whio and pateke, is absolutely engrossing, as a vast flock of native birds perch, preen, chortle, warble and fly above your head. A feathery fiesta of tui, kakariki, fantails, the rifleman, bellbirds and kereru. It’s an absolute triumph. 

By the way, you may recall the kokako was crowned our Bird of the Year in 2016 and currently there’s a $5000 reward if the kokako can be spotted in the South Island. With a pair of bright blue wattles below the neck, this dark bluish-grey bird is a photogenic princess and you can see the kokako at Puhaka. The aviary is part of Pukaha’s wider mission to bring back the birdsong, through extensive predator control and restoration work up in the forest.

Rangitane iwi are actively involved in Pukaha’s conservation work, as the forest is the last remaining remnant of the 70 Mile Bush and of major cultural significance. Currently Pukaha is spending over $150,000, annually, trapping an arsenal of predators including cats, ferrets and stoats in the unfenced forest reserve. Admission charges go directly to the conservation programmes.  It’s a must-see in the Wairarapa. www.pukaha.org.nz

For a complete change of scenery, head south of Masterton, to gentle and vine-draped Martinborough. It’s what mini-breaks and weekend retreats are all about. Encircled by olive groves and boutique vineyards, this elegant and historic village is a bon vivant’s delight with its abundant palette of wining and dining possibilities. The township’s showpiece hospitality beacon is the cream-coloured grand dame, The Martinborough Hotel. This graceful establishment was built in 1882 and has been extensively restored to its former glory.

 The property celebrates its rich history with sumptuous antique furnishings and a wonderful collection of sketches of local personalities from over the decades, adorning its walls. 21 individually designed rooms open out onto the wide veranda or flower-filled courtyard, which is regularly deployed as a secret garden bar in summer. Heaven.  Synonymous  with old-school comfort, luxurious fabrics and linens, plump in-room armchairs and claw-foot baths, contemporary comforts have been blended into the timeless décor, unobtrusively, across all Heritage and Garden Suites. 

It’s like staying in a pampered country house.  Under the command of Mark and Sarah Green for the past three years, they’ve done a sterling job in stamping their own mark on the hotel. Last year the restaurant and bar was refreshed and relaunched – From Paddock to Plate. Wellington interior designer, Brett Coram, was commissioned to lead the makeover which has injected a metropolitan verve to the Victorian setting, with retro wallpaper and intense blue-green paint enlivening the décor.

Fresh seasonal produce is front and centre, whether it be walnuts from a tree on the property to the local butcher who provides free range pork. The restaurant menu showcases flair, flavour and daring. My pick? The slow-roasted Longbush pork which is served with kumara ginger mash and wilted spinach. Local produce that you’ll readily notice across the menu spans Martinborough olive oils, Kingsmeade cheese, Drunken Nanny goat cheese and table grapes, locally plucked. It’s a celebration of place.  Leave room for desert – Will, the patisserie chef is a wizard. www.martinboroughhotel.co.nz

 “Boutique” encapsulates the life and soul of Martinborough wine. With around 30 wineries peppering the region, they are compact operations, many are family-owned, and some are so boutique they could be housed on your front lawn.  Start your wine trail with an introductory tasting at the Martinborough Wine Merchants. Housed in what was once the largest single span building in Australasia, this glorious gabled structure showcases the region with aplomb.

Peddling your way through the vineyards is the way to go and since 2011, Green Jersey have been the go-to guys for hire bikes and cycling excursions through the Martinborough vineyards and beyond. In the past years alone, they have grown eight fold, with over 250 bikes on tap. Green Jersey were on the frontlines of the development of the Rimutaka Cycle Trail. Stuart is now also offering year-round fully guided day excursions in the Wairarapa, including the new Palliser Bay Coastal Explorer. www.greenjersey.co.nz

For more tips on exploring this wonderful region, head to www.wairarapanz.com

Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s Travel Correspondent on Jack Tame Saturday Mornings.