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This stylish town boasts some excellent gourmet restaurants which have sprung up in the last few years to compliment the fabulous locally produced produce and award winning wines. The centre of New Zealand’s largest wine growing region, this town annually boasts the highest number of sunshine hours in the country.
From as early as the 12th century, Maori were living in the Marlborough region where food was plentiful, both from the sea and seashore and from the abundant birdlife that inhabited this area. European settlers followed the whalers who had hunted in the region and set up shore based whaling stations in the 1830’s. At first the local Maori were welcoming to these pale skinned immigrants but land disputes erupted after the arrival of the New Zealand Company in 1840. Eventually these were settled and the town of Blenheim became the hub of the region. In the early 1860’s gold was discovered in the Marlborough area, swelling the population. This was short lived however and people turned to pastoral farming which underpinned the development of the region. Some vast sheep stations were established, rivalling those in Canterbury to the south. Today, sunny Marlborough derives much of its income from horticulture and vineyards which produce some excellent wines, particularly Sauvignon Blancs, reputedly some of the best in the world. The 65 wineries and the gourmet foods produced in the region in turn draw many tourists to the area. The region also utilises its marine bounty, creating salt at Lake Grasmere, the only salt works in New Zealand, and with salmon and mussel farming enterprises.
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