Quiet, spacious and beautiful surroundings will make your stay memorable.
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Blenheim is a city in Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand. The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry. It enjoys one of New Zealand’s sunniest climates, with hot, relatively dry summers and crisp winters.
The Marlborough region in which Blenheim is situated has a wide range of leisure activities, from swimming with dolphins in the Marlborough Sounds to watching whales in Kaikoura; from walks through the bush and along the rugged coastline, as well as scenic boat cruising, fishing, water-skiing and kayaking. The relaxed lifestyle and the flourishing wine and gourmet food industry in Marlborough are enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike.
Blenheim is named after the Battle of Blenheim (1704), where troops led by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough defeated a combined French and Bavarian force.
Situated on the Wairau Plain, Blenheim is mostly flat with surrounding hills, which do not, however, give it as much protection from prevailing winds as might be expected. Open areas in and around Blenheim are hit quite hard by winds blowing in from Cook Strait. Blenheim sits at the confluence of the Taylor and Opawa Rivers. Blenheim is in a tectonically active zone and experiences several (usually small) earthquakes each year. The boundary between the Pacific plate (on which Blenheim sits) and the Indo-Australian plate passes just north of Blenheim.
The Marlborough region is famous for its wine production, although other forms of agriculture are significant and the services sectors is also important.
With the growing international critical recognition of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, much of the wine industry has come to be dominated by large firms, owned by major New Zealand companies or offshore investors.
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