The Southern Heart
14 days · Christchurch, Kaikōura, Marlborough, Nelson
Whales off Kaikōura, a glacier at Franz Josef, and the clearest sky in the country over Aoraki.
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South Island
Marlborough
Sauvignon blanc, the Sounds, and small producers who open the door.
South Island · Wine lovers · Food enthusiasts · Couples
Marlborough is where New Zealand wine was born, or at least where it became world-famous. The Wairau Valley stretches between mountain ranges, bathed in more sunshine than almost anywhere else in the country, producing sauvignon blanc that changed the global wine conversation.
But Marlborough is more than wine. The Marlborough Sounds are a labyrinth of waterways, islands, and sheltered bays where the Queen Charlotte Track winds through native bush. The artisan food scene here is exceptional, olive oil, honey, cheese, and seafood pulled straight from the Sounds.
Among its moments
- Private cellar door wine tastings
- Queen Charlotte Sound cruise
- Queen Charlotte Track hiking
- Artisan cheese and olive oil producers
- Seafood cruise in the Sounds
Marlborough in photographs
Journeys through Marlborough
Reading on Marlborough
The whole journal- New Zealand seafood: from Kaikōura crayfish to Bluff oysters
Food & Wine, 6 min read
Near here
All thirty regions, on the map