Greytown

Greytown was founded in 1854 as the first planned inland town in New Zealand, and its main street is now generally described as the most complete Victorian wooden streetscape in the country - two-storey timber shopfronts with verandahs, largely intact rather than reconstructed. The reason is an accident of transport: when the railway was built it ran through Featherston and Carterton instead, Greytown stagnated commercially, and nobody had the money or reason to knock the buildings down. A century later that neglect became the asset. The street is now boutiques, cafes and design shops serving weekend traffic from Wellington, which some visitors find charming and others find twee - both readings are fair. Cobblestones Museum at the southern end holds relocated colonial buildings. The town is known for autumn colour along the main street and for the Wairarapa wineries and Martinborough a short drive away.

What you actually see

• The wooden main street - two-storey Victorian shopfronts, largely intact.
• The reason it survived - the railway went to the neighbouring towns.
• Cobblestones Museum - relocated colonial buildings at the south end.
• The autumn trees - the street's colour in April and May.

When to go

Any season; April and May for the autumn colour. Weekends are busy with Wellington visitors; weekdays are quiet and some shops close.

Honest expectations

It is a shopping and eating street rather than a museum town - the historic fabric houses boutiques. Weekend prices and crowds reflect the Wellington trade. Little to do beyond walking and eating.

Nearby

Martinborough and the wineries are south; Masterton and the Tararuas are north.