Blenheim

Blenheim is the administrative headquarters of the New Zealand Marlborough unitary authority. In the north-eastern South Island city there were, according to the 2006 Census, 2,736 inhabitants. The site is located approximately 70 kilometers southeast of Nelson and is situated in the center of one of the most important wine regions of the country.

The Taylor River in the city center

Due to its favorable climatic conditions with warm summers and cold winters for New Zealand as well as its long duration of sunshine, there has developed in Blenheim and surrounding areas, a successful wine industry, which now constitutes to be the most important wine region in the country.

About 30 wineries in the area of Blenheim produces a variety of different wines, among which the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are included. A particularly large influx of visitors experience the city on the second weekend of February for the Marlborough Food & Wine Festival.

The Battle of Blenheim in 1704, saw the troops of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough victorious over French and Bavarian soldiers. The original settlement created a swamp in the Wairau plain at the confluence of the Taylor and Opawa River. This is now drained. In its place is the Seymour Square, with a park.

The region offers a variety of recreational opportunities: swimming with dolphins in the Marlborough Sounds; whale watching; hiking trails in the forest and along the rugged coastline; boat trips; fishing; water skiing and kayaking.

Transportation

Blenheim is situated on the northern section of the South Iceland Main Trunk Railway line from Picton to Christchurch. Once daily a passenger train stops at the TranzCoastal Blenheim station. Freight trains on the route are also heavily dependent on the circulation times of the ferry services between Picton and Wellington. Blenheim is with the State Highway from 1am to 6pm, connected to the network of trunk roads in New Zealand.