One of the sunniest places in New Zealand, Blenheim is a pleasant town of ~30,000 people surrounded by around 50 vineyards producing world class wine from the Marlborough region. A good spot to admire the vines, and perhaps the wine (though I don’t drink), is the rather flash Brancott Estate Heritage Centre.
More views of the town and Wairau Valley can be found from the Rotary Lookout in Wither Hills Farm Park, a 1,100 hectare working farm behind town filled with walking and biking tracks.
In town itself the highlight is the world-class Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, which I’ll post on separately as there is so much see there for those interested in planes or history.
There is plenty of history on display at Brayshaw Park, home to the Marlborough Museum, Vintage Car Club, Farm Machinery Musuem, Rock and Mineral Club, Marlborough Associated Modellers Incoproated, and Blenheim Riverside Railway.
Pollard Park is a particularly beautiful town park filled with flowers and colour.
It is home to a large and rather beautiful rose garden.
There was more colour in Seymour Square, home to the distinctive 16.5 m high historic stone clock tower built as a war memorial.
Omaka Cemetery is historic place, the final resting place for some of the earliest settlers to the region.
Heading up the Wairau Valley there was a reminder of DELTA military camp, through which ~15,000 people passed for training during WW2 between 1942 and 1945.
Next door is the also historic and beautifully situated Upper Wairau Cemetery.
Further along the valley was a festive part of the cemetery next to Wairau Valley Church.
There were great views of the Richmond Range in the distance.
To finish with an aerial shot taken while flying from Blenheim airport.
