Marlborough District

This article is about Marlborough, a region of the South Island of New Zealand. For other places called Marlborough, see Marlborough (disambiguation).

Marlborough Region
Location
File:Marl-region-mod.PNG
Statistics
Capital	Blenheim
Area	12,484 km²
Population 1996 Census 2001 Census	42,300
Districts	21
Area code	03

Marlborough is one of the regions of New Zealand, located in the northeast of the South Island. Marlborough is known for its dry climate, the picturesque Marlborough Sounds, and Sauvignon blanc wine.

Geography

Marlborough's geography can be roughly divided into four sections. Two of these sections, in the south and the west, are mountainous. This is particularly true of the southern section, which rises to the peaks of the Kaikoura Ranges. These two mountainous regions are the final northern vestiges of the ranges that make up the Southern Alps, although that name is rarely applied to mountains this far north.

Between these two areas is the long straight valley of the Wairau River. This broadens to wide plains at its eastern end, in the centre of which stands the town of Blenheim. This region has fertile soil and temperate weather, and as such has become a centre of the New Zealand wine industry.

Marlborough's fourth geographic zone lies along its north coast. Here, the drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds make for a convoluted and attractive coastline. The town of Picton is located at the southern end of one of the larger sounds, Queen Charlotte Sound .

People and government

Marlborough is administered by a unitary authority, the Marlborough District Council.

Much of the region's population is found around the coastal plains around and to the south of the mouth of the Wairau, and in smaller settlements along the coast of the Sounds. Other than that of Blenheim and Picton, Marlborough's towns include Havelock, Renwick, Ward, and Seddon. For some purposes, the town of Kaikoura is also considered part of Marlborough.

Marlborough's world-famous former residents include rocket scientist William Pickering and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Ernest Rutherford.

Important cities and towns

See also: List of rivers in Marlborough, and, and List of winemakers in Marlborough

File:Wikipedia-blenheim2.jpg

Blenheim.

Blenheim is the region's capital, and is the largest city.

Its major towns and cities are:

Blenheim Picton Havelock Seddon

Ward Rai Valley Renwick Kekerengu

Wine

Marlborough can lay claim to starting the modern New Zealand wine industry. Here in the late 1970s, Montana produced Sauvignon Blanc, among other varieties, which led to confidence that New Zealand could produce exciting wine.

The majority of Marlborough's extensive vineyard plantings are around Renwick, Blenheim, and Cloudy Bay in the Wairau valley. Further south in the Awatere valley are plantings near Seddon. These are for the most part on old terraces of the Wairau and Awatere rivers.

The area is widely considered by many critics to produce the world's best Sauvignon blanc wine. See Cloudy Bay Vineyards. Also important is the production of Methode Traditionelle sparkling wines, particularly near Renwick, and Riesling, Pinot noir and Chardonnay.

See also

• New Zealand wine

External links

• Template:Wikitravel
• Marlborough Online
• Marlborough District Council
• Main category on Zeal, with several subcategories