Greytown

Wairarapa Region New Zealand

Greytown sits one hour from Wellington on the northern side of the Rimutaka Hills. The town has a long main street that conforms to the original survey with sixty one acre plots on either side of the street. It was New Zealand's first planned inland town. Today the town is a fine example of early New Zealand Colonial architecture with its restored wooden buildings that line the street. It sits in the heart of the Wairarapa Valley which with its fertile alluvial soils produce some of New Zealand's finest fruit, vegetables and wine. Greytown is a tourist town and there is a and there is a wide choice of cafés and restaurants.

One thing that is often encountered when it comes to accessibility is the difficulty of incorporating accessible facilities into heritage locations. Greytown is one of the best examples of how to do while still maintaining the character of the original architecture. With only a couple of exceptions every building in the town is accessible with wide doors and wheelchair ramps. Every ramp has been built in keeping with the original design of the building allowing everyone to enjoy the charm of this historic town. The one notable exception is the world famous Schoc Chocolate shop at the very end of the town which has only steps at its entrance.

See our photo gallery of historic Greytown