 Situated in the northeast of New Zealand’s South Island, Marlborough is a region renowned for its dry climate, stunning scenery and highly successful wine industry. These three characteristics, along with an array of others, make Marlborough an appealing holiday destination for both domestic and overseas visitors.
Marlborough’s attractions have a broad appeal and draw everyone from lovers of fine wine and outdoor enthusiasts to family holidaymakers. For wine fans especially this is a place to indulge your passion, with numerous wineries scattered across the region. Tours with sampling sessions are available and some fine vintages can be bought to take back home. The region is particularly famous for its Sauvignon blanc, with some wineries having won international awards for this popular wine.
 Marlborough Sounds, a stunning area of the region where scenic waterways punctuate chiselled landscapes and flora and fauna flourish, remains largely undisturbed by human influence and is another major draw. Besides appreciating the sheer beauty of the Queen Charlotte and Pelorus sounds, there are countless opportunities for partaking in outdoor activities with hiking, sailing, cycling and swimming all popular.
 Blenheim is Marlborough’s main urban development and is a small somewhat sleepy city with a pleasant ambience, a dry and sunny climate and a good selection of facilities for holidaymakers. With a location on the Taylor and Opawa rivers as well as easy access to the sounds, Blenheim makes the perfect holiday base from which to enjoy the region’s many attractions.
As well as the great wine that’s on offer, the region presents some fantastic dining opportunities, with many restaurants serving up locally caught fish and seafood in a variety of tasty dishes. The town of Havelock in particular is famous for its green-shelled mussels, which it not only farms and harvests on location, but also serves steamed at its dining establishments.
Marlborough is easily reached, having its own domestic airport at Blenheim which maintains connections with major New Zealand centres such as Wellington, Christchurch and Auckland. For the majority of visitors, an international flight followed by a domestic transfer is the easiest way of reaching the region. However, if you are already in the country, there are options for reaching the region by bus, train or boat.
Marlborough is well geared to receiving tourists, offering a variety of accommodation options as well as a number of efficient means of getting around. Local tour operators take all the effort out of seeing the region’s top sights with a variety of organised trips lasting anything from a couple of hours to several days.
With a developed tourist infrastructure and attractions to appeal to visitors of all backgrounds, it’s not difficult to see why Marlborough is one of New Zealand’s most popular holiday destinations.
History
 The area we now know as Marlborough has been home to Maori settlers for over 1,000 years. Over the course of this period there have been various shifts in ownership between the different tribes. The Ngati Apa, Ngai Tahu, Ngati Kuia and Rangitane tribes are believed to have been the most dominant in the area until the Ngati Rarua, Ngati Toa, Ngati Koata, Ngati Tama and Te Atiawa arrived in the early 17th century with muskets, effecting some changes in land ownership in a period that is popularly known as the Musket Wars (lasting from 1806 to 1845).
European settlers first arrived in the 1850s, acquiring land by means of both force and financial exchange. Flax production was established as the first industry in the area, and there is still some visual evidence of this on the road linking Spring Creek and Rarangi.
 Sheep and beef farming were subsequently introduced, but the area’s arid climate impacted initial successes. Later white colonists expanded the sheep farming venture, dedicating large areas of land to this industry and seeing a dramatic improvement in terms of production and profitability.
 Marine industries were developed also, with mussel farming prospering in locations such as Havelock. Garlic growing on a large scale (for export) also brought wealth to the area. It was the introduction of the grape to the area, however, that brought Marlborough its most successful industry.
 Montana is noted as one of the first cities in the region to begin wine production with the first vintages knocked out in the 1970s. In 1977, the town bottled its first Sauvignon blanc as well as its first Riesling and Pinotage varieties.
 Marlborough is now the country’s largest wine growing region, a fact that has contributed significantly to its prosperity and appeal as a visitor destination. Olive growing has also been highly successful here in the last few decades while basic pastoral and horticultural farming continue to be major sources of income for the region.
Weather
Marlborough’s climate is drier and warmer than that of other parts of the country, a fact that has helped it to become a favourite tourist destination. The region experiences four relatively distinct seasons in which weather conditions are fairly predictable, making it easy to plan holidays.
 The summer season begins in December and lasts until March, during which time temperatures hit highs of between 72 and 75°C. Rainfall is low during this period, especially during January and February when volumes drop to 47 and 27mms respectively.
 The winter season spans June, July and August, during which time temperatures drop to between 55 and 57°C. Rainfall is greater during this season than in any other, with July seeing up to 71mms of rain and August only slightly less.
The seasons in between are typically transitional in terms of both temperature and rainfall with figures for both moderate. Summer is the best time to take a trip to Marlborough with long dry sunny days offering idyllic weather conditions for sightseeing and outdoor activities.
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