Experience the best of Blenheim

Blenheim sits on the flat Wairau Plain at the top of the South Island, in the heart of Marlborough, New Zealand's largest wine region. Rows of vines run to the foot of the dry Wither Hills, and the town itself is small and green, with parks such as Pollard Park and Seymour Square and a river walk beside the Taylor.

Marlborough made its name with Sauvignon Blanc, and many cellar doors in the Wairau and Awatere valleys offer tastings, with bikes to ride between them. The Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre shows First World War aircraft in lifelike displays. The Marlborough Sounds, a tangle of drowned river valleys, lie a short way north around Picton, and Kaikoura and its whales are to the south.

Green-lipped mussels and king salmon come from the Sounds, and cellar-door lunches serve local produce with the region's crisp whites and Pinot Noir. Marlborough is among the sunniest places in the country, with long dry summers, and the grape harvest in March and April fills the valleys with activity.