About Marlborough

St Leonards Vineyard Cottages are located in the heart of Marlborough, New Zealand.

The Marlborough region is about world-famous Sauvignon Blanc. Marlborough is located at the top of the South Island of New Zealand and is easily accessible by Inter Island ferries, train from the South, air or road. The province is distinctive in its landscape, history and attractions.

Blenheim is situated in the heart of Marlborough’s famous, wine growing area, at the top of the South Island. It is one of the sunniest towns in New Zealand, enjoying hot and relatively dry summers with cool crisp winters. Mountains frame the Blenheim area and trap the summer heat (temperatures around 30°C are quite normal in January, February and March).

 

The Marlborough Sounds

Within a 30 minute drive from St Leonards Vineyard Cottages are the Marlborough Sounds. The Sounds are the first port of call for those who take the ferry journey from Wellington to the South Island.

The internationally renowned Marlborough Sounds, a major network of fjord waterways, now home to significant aquaculture activity, recreational water, and adventure sports, rare New Zealand native bird breeding programs and a range of adventure walks. At times accommodation in the sounds is some of the most sought after in the country.

The Sounds are also steeped in New Zealand history as the site of some of the earliest whaling and farming activities. The Sounds offer a wide range of activities from, guided and freedom walks through native forest, adventure sports, fishing, swimming with dolphins, nature cruises and diving.

 

 

More to Explore...

St Leonards is located in the heart of the Marlborough wine country and offers a central base from which visitors can explore all the sights of Marlborough. Many visitors will know of Marlborough's reputation as the home of the world's best Sauvignon Blanc wine. There are over 65 wineries that in addition to Sauvignon Blanc, also produce Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir.

The Wairau and Awatere Valleys, home of a world-class wine making region with cuisine to match, also have some of the earliest and most comprehensively documented Māori settlements. 

The New Zealand High Country is truly unique and spectacular. Various tours are available, of special interest is the tour through the 165,000 high country Molesworth Cattle Station. The Molesworth was originally one of the largest private sheep stations in New Zealand during the nineteenth century and passes through some spectacular scenery. We are lucky enough to have a Merino sheep from the station at St Leonards- suitably named Molesworth.