Featherston

Featherston, home to one of New Zealand's largest wetland areas, Lake Wairarapa, is the southern gateway to the Wairarapa region. The town was previously known as Burlings, after the owner of an early accommodation house in the area.

The town has two unique and independent museums, the Fell Engine Museum and the Featherston Heritage Museum. The Fell Engine Museum is home of the world's only remaining Fell locomotive engine, which once ran on the local Rimutaka Incline train line. It also has a great collection of railway memorabilia, working models and an incline brake van to enthrall rail enthusiasts. The Heritage Museum houses displays that illustrate the history of Featherstone Military Base and its role as a Japanese prisoner of war camp in World War II.

The Wairarapa Wetlands will delight nature lovers, photographers and bird watchers. They are home to many native and migratory bird species, including some that are rare and endangered.