Wine Retreat

Dry Paddocks, Waipara, North Canterbury. Nov 2008. Ajr

Dry Paddocks settles into its tanned Waipara landscape 45 minutes north of Christchurch as if it was always meant to be there. The surrounding paddocks may be sunburnt and thirsty but Dry Paddocks itself is a self-contained oasis of comfort and style. Open the doors and you walk in to a cool two-bedroom retreat with the best of everything at your fingertips. Best of all, it’s just a short drive from the heart of the Waipara Wine Region – a picturesque 15-kilometre-long valley that has undergone a total transformation over the last twenty years. Once dry farmland, it now boasts 80 vineyards and an estimated 1,200 hectares of grapes, making it New Zealand’s fourth largest wine region. Uncork a bottle of the local Pinot Noir and fall into one of Dry Paddock’s balcony chairs under the rush-covered pergola, or beside the pool and you won’t want to leave. www.drypaddocks.co.nz www.waiparawine.co.nz