Blenheim
A tidy town of parks and gardens surrounded by vineyards and farmlands, Blenheim lies 29 km/18 miles inland. With a population of 18,000, it's Marlborough's largest town, as well as its administrative and agricultural center. Focal point of the business district is triangular Market Place, featuring a filigreed band rotunda. Tourist information is available at the nearby Public Relations Office.
A walk through town. From Market Place, walk a block west on High Street to Seymour Square, colorful with seasonal flower displays. In the park you'll see the town's
memorial fountain and stone clock tower just across the street are the public library and the modern circular council chambers.
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Other pleasant places to explore include Riverside Park, with its footbridges spanning a stream, and Pollard Park, a favorite for its rose gardens, sports grounds, and flower bordered walkways along a creek.
Nearby attractions. Southwest of town on New Renwick Road, Brayshaw Museum Park contains a miniature railway, vintage machinery and vehicles, and other displays.
Riverlands cob cottage, a restored, mud walled pioneer house built around 1860, is located about 5 km/3 miles southeast of Blenheim on Highway 1. A cobblestone path leads to the small cottage museum, now refurbished with period household articles and costumed figures in colonial dress.
West of Blenheim you'll pass vast vineyards; Montana Vineyards opened its Riverlands Winery here in 1977.
Marlborough has its own skifield at Rainbow Valley, southwest of Blenheim; the ski season extends from June through late October.
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