Marlborough is somewhere you visit for the most enticing reasons: Queen Charlotte Sound and wine. This is the country’s largest wine region, with vineyard experiences ranging from bike trails to overnight stays in oversized wine barrels (punch Sleeping Barrels into your search bar) as well as the revered Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, which will be returning for the first time in two years on February 11. Challenge your limbs to the 72km, three-to-five-day Queen Charlotte Track, or chill out at the beach. Whites Bay and Anakiwa are particularly jubilant in summer.
Walk the 72km, three-to-five-day Queen Charlotte Track. Photo / MarlboroughNZ
The best place to be is on the water, and that means one thing: cruise. Take your pick from orca-spotting trips (frequenting the sounds between October and March) to experiencing Marlborough’s remote postal delivery service aboard a scheduled mail-boat cruise. Various companies visit the predator-free haven that is Motuara Island for its rare bird species, while foodies can’t go wrong with a tailor-made cruise courtesy of Katabatic Charters. Plucky guests can dive for their own mussels, while chef-skipper Grant Orchard bakes the sourdough and preps your catch for lunch.
The best place to be is on the water, on a cruise. Photo / MarlboroughNZ
Best eats
Mussels are a mainstay on most Marlborough menus, plucked and shucked straight from the sea. Dine al fresco at the (practically iconic) Mussel Pot in Havelock or get one step fresher on board a Greenshell Mussel Cruise. For those after fine dining, Arbour in Blenheim is an award-winning establishment, or for something low-key, head to The Vines Village for brunch by the lake. The Fancy Cow is Marlborough’s latest dining experience, featuring fancy wine, craft beer and an Italian-inspired menu.
Enjoy the lakeside setting at The Vines Village. Photo / MarlboroughNZ
