Things to Do in Marlborough

• Marlborough Sounds
  This scenic region contains Pelorus Sound, Queen Charlotte and Kenepuru Sounds, and wilderness areas such as French Pass. Activities include kayaking, sailing, fishing, diving, cruising and dolphin watching.
• Wineries
  More than 60 wineries are found in the Marlborough region, world-renowned for its exceptional Sauvignon Blancs.
• Marlborough Wine Trail
  Gastronomically and scenically rewarding, more than 30 regional wineries offer cellar door sales and tastings, including Highfield Hunter's and Domain Georges Michel. Montana, one of the country's biggest wineries, operates tours from Monday to Saturday. Back Country Safaris offer personalised wine tours.
• Wine Marlborough Festival
  On the second Saturday in February, this popular festival celebrates the area's wineries, olive groves, orchards, gourmet foods and boutique breweries. The festival takes place at Montana's Brancott Estate.
• Abel Tasman National Park
  A coastal gem with rocky headlands, remote forest-rimmed bays and sandy coves. Attractions include walking, kayaking, boat cruises, fur seals, penguins, dolphins and seabirds.
• Nelson Lakes National Park
  Centred around Lakes Rotoiti and Rotorua, this park offers watersports, lakeside walks, mountain hikes and skiing.
• Kahurangi National Park
  New Zealand's second largest park encompasses mountains, spectacular karst landforms, caves, forests, tussocklands and rugged coastline. The park is an ecological treasure with more than 100 bird species, 50% of all New Zealand's plant species and 80% of the country's alpine plants. Kahurangi offers some of New Zealand's best hiking on tracks such as the Heaphy, Wangapeka, Cobb Valley and Mount Arthur Tablelands.
• Paparoa National Park
  A 30,560ha park incorporating coastal and native forest, limestone canyons, caves, underwater streams and the famous Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki. These natural rock formations create spectacular blowholes.
• Cloudy Bay Coastal Route
  This scenic 2hr drive links Blenheim with Picton with good picnic stops at Robin Hood Bay, Ocean Bay and at the head of Port Underwood.
• Wairau Lagoons
  Go birdwatching on this three-hour circular walk to the east of Blenheim. More than 70 bird species inhabit the lagoons. An additional hour is needed for the return trip to the wreck of the Waverley.
• Walks
  Walking tracks in the Richmond Range, 26km south-west of Blenheim, offer superb views of the Wairau Valley and St Arnaud and Kaikoura Ranges.
• Skiing
  Rainbow Valley Skifield, 130km west of Blenheim in the St Arnaud Range, is a popular winter destination, and hiking tracks draw summer visitors.
• Picton
  Once in Picton, take some time before driving off and visit the 1853-launched Edwin Fox, now the ninth-oldest ship in the world. As you gaze over the hulk of this ship, imagine it's the year 1857 as 300 Chinese coolies are being loaded in Shantou, China. Regulations dictated that each passenger had 3.6m of space and 4.5 litres of fresh water for the five-month journey to their new home in Cuba.
• Queen Charlotte Track
  You might want to attempt all or part of the 67km Queen Charlotte Track. It passes through lush coastal forest, around coves and along skyline ridges that offer the most breathtaking views. You can drive, boat, and/or fly in and out of various locations on the track.
• Blenheim
  Blenheim central is getting a $3.2 million facelift but the century-old band rotunda in the Forum remains the focal point. Since Montana Wines took advantage of Marlborough's cool winters, dry summers, and fertile soils in the early 1970s, about 45 other wineries have planted more than 4000 hectares of mainly sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Riesling, pinot noir, pinot gris and Merlot. The Marlborough Wine Festival on the second Saturday in February attracts wine buffs from all over.
• Kaikoura
  Whale watching down at Kaikoura also attracts its fair share of tourists. In 1987, a group of Maori families knew that the 2000 metre deep canyon just off-shore was the migratory path for a dozen whale species. They loved watching them play and feed and reckoned others would too. They were right. From their base at the whaleway station (which used to be the railway station), they take out more than 60,000 visitors every year to watch the earth's largest creatures.
• Visit the Marlborough Museum, with memorabilia collected from the local area by Martin Hennessy. It ranges from an 80-year-old kerosene driven tractor, a bull's head and a complete blacksmith's shop, to old letters and diaries. Open daily 9am – 5pm.
• Have a beer at the Marlborough Hotel, a classic Central Queensland pub with loads of rustic charm. The original 1856 pub was located about 5 km south of the present hotel.