He Tangata: Katie Farman

Katie Farman loves the isolated ruggedness of Castlepoint. went skiing in Andorra, we drove through the Pyrenees and went to Languedoc-Roussillon in the south of France. Here we drove to Carcassonne, a magical walled medieval city that’s in lots of movies. That was a highlight. Before heading back to New Zealand I travelled through Turkey with a girlfriend — it was the perfect send-off. We did Gallipoli and travelled the interior, the coast and back to Istanbul. Those amazing palaces and through the spice markets, anyone who’s been there knows the smell is incredible. It’s such a different environment to anything you see in New Zealand. Coming to Wairarapa, I segued from sport reporting into tourism. There are similarities as the people are positive and outgoing, passionate about what they do. There’s an incredible wine and food scene, artisan producers, our untouched coast and villages are really beautiful. Some people think of Wairarapa as it was 25 years ago — a rural service region, and although it’s still based around a rural economy, things have diversified. People come with big ideas, they’re innovative and creative. The housing market is booming and because it’s only an hour from Wellington, that’s attractive for commuters. Geographically Wairarapa is a really big area, but it’s possible to do a bit of everything. When people visit I’d definitely suggest a trip to the coast, Castlepoint or Cape Palliser. There’s the beauty and isolated ruggedness of Castlepoint with the limestone reef and the lagoon. Cape Palliser is wild with the most amazing colour of ocean and sky. Then I’d suggest taking your time to go through villages like Martinborough and Greytown. Greytown reminds me of Arrowtown. There’s been lots of work done on the main street, there are new businesses and the trees are stunning in all seasons. I have three boys, the eldest is 11 and the twins are 8. We love going to Castlepoint, it’s beautiful on a hot sunny day and it’s invigorating in a howling nor’wester. We’re going to Melbourne to visit my dad this year and the boys are so interested in the process of travel. The passports. What movies they’ll watch on the plane, what they’ll eat, how big is the plane? Who will I sit next to? What is the money like in Australia? You forget as an adult, how important the actual journey is.