Blenheim
Nearby
Marlborough Sounds Nelson Abel Tasman Golden BayBlenheim: Understand
Population 31,000
With lots of sunshine hours, Blenheim has become the country’s largest grape growing and wine-making region.
Blenheim: Getting In & Out
By plane:
There is an airport in Blenheim, but flights are often quite expensive. Check Air New Zealand and Sounds Air as it may be your lucky day. Alternatively, fly into Nelson and make your way across.
Renting a campervan or rental car is a great way to explore New Zealand with flexibility and freedom! It’s easiest to pick up/drop off rentals from the major airports in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown. We recommend you book in advance. Check out our handy guides Travel New Zealand by Campervan or Travel New Zealand by Car.
By car:
State Highway 6 goes to and from Nelson, and StateHighway 1 goes to and from Picton and to and from Christchurch.
By bus:
Take a look at the InterCity website to plan your bus journey.
Blenheim: See & Do
Wine tastings and winery tours – most of the wineries offer you the chance to taste their wines and many have a cafe or restaurant on site. Sauvignon Blanc is the region’s speciality, but wines made with Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are also highly acclaimed. Wine trail maps make it easy to find your way around the vineyards.
Our top wineries to visit include:
- George Michael estate (beautiful old church)
- Fromm Winery
- Cloudy Bay
- Alan Scott
Every year, the Marlborough Wine Festival attracts thousands of people from all over New Zealand to savour the wine produced in the Marlborough region. The festival includes wine tasting, wine tutorials, great food, an Arts/Crafts market day and live music (so even if you’re not the wine fan in the group, you could still have a great day out!).
Wine Tours By Bike would be our preferred method to tour the regions wineries. Self guided with a suggested route and map included!
Blenheim: Eat & Drink
Gramado’s has an excellent Brazilian-inspired menu. The food is great, as is the service, and the pricing is reasonable.
The Burleigh is famous for their gourmet pies. Nice and cheap, with an impressive range of pie fillings … pork belly, steak and pepper, jerk chicken… the list goes on. You can also buy them uncooked to take home and bake. Vegetarian options too!
Brancott Estate Cellar Door and Restaurant, and Saint Clair Vineyard Kitchen are just two of the many vineyards that serve lunches amongst vines.
And a newbie to the scene is The Plant, a gig venue serving up vegan goodies! Check out their instagram to see what’s on when you’re in Blenheim!
Blenheim: Sleep
Our top campground spot would be the DOC Whites Bay Campground Area ($). It’s a 20-minute drive North of Blenheim, set in a beautiful bay which makes it a perfect swimming spot. Facilities are limited, but there are flush toilets, cold showers, and fresh water. Suitable for campervans, caravans and tents (remember there are no powered sites – you’ll be off the grid!).
For an option in town, the Blenheim Top 10 Holiday Park ($) is good. Spacious grounds and nice staff. They have rooms, apartments, and sites for tents and campervans.
St Leonards Vineyard Cottages ($$) are self-contained and in beautifully restored farm buildings on a rural property just out of Blenheim. It’s a great setting, with lovely hosts.
It’s also worth taking a look on Air BnB for more sleeping options in Blenheim!
1-Day Trips Near Blenheim
Mt Fishtail is a challenging but very rewarding day in the hiking boots. It’s a 9km track one-way, reaching a summit of 1,643m and expected to take a good 5-hours up, maybe a bit less down.
Multi-Day Trips Near Blenheim
The Queen Charlotte Track has fantastic hiking and mountain biking options.
The Queen Charlotte Track stretches 70 km from Ship Cove to Anikiwa (which is also the suggested route), taking between 3 and 5 days to walk. For us, this is the best way to see the Marlborough Sounds. The views are sensational of the Queen Charlotte Sound, the Kenepuru Sound, plus all the bays and coves you work your way around. The colours of the water, forest and inlets are unique to this part of the country.
It’s a one-way track, which requires boat drop-off to Ship Cove. You can park in Aniwika and take the water taxi from there, which means just one water taxi trip (as they can get spendy!). Alternatively, you can start and finish in Picton, requiring two water taxi trips.
One of the different things about this trail is that the accommodation along the way is either: a) campgrounds requiring a tent, or b) up-market accommodation with food (and sometimes hot tubs). The boat operators can also take your packs between accommodation places, leaving you with a delightfully light day pack full of snacks!
As mentioned above, you can also Mountain Bike the Queen Charlotte Track. Biking is allowed on the track all year round except for the section between Ship Cove and Kenepuru Saddle, which is closed to bikes over the busy summer season (1 December to 28 February).
You can also do day trips into the Queen Charlotte Sound, departing from Picton by water taxi at 8 am, returning around 5 pm.
The Marlborough Sounds are just 1 hour away and are one of the most beautiful spots in the country. To find out how best to explore The Marlborough Sounds, take a look at our dedicated destination page.
Where to next?
Nearby in Nelson & Marlborough:
Marlborough Sounds Nelson Abel Tasman Golden Bay
Nearby Regions:
Canterbury West Coast OtagoSip wine in the sunshine