Te Waiharakeke or Blenheim is the largest town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand and home to many a fine winery. The Māori name for Blenheim means “the waters of flax” as originally the area was a flax swamp providing rich food resources of ducks and eels. The name also gives you reason to understand why the British referred to it as Beaver town when it was first occupied by British settlers. Unsurprisingly, the town was prone to flooding when it was first established in the 1850s, so you’ll notice the odd beaver reference around the town.
There is so much to do in Blenheim and after a month of working here we think we’ve seen most of it! We like to keep to a van life budget even when we are working, so we’ve not included some of the more classic things to do in Blenheim due to the large price tag they come with. We think there is plenty to do here without breaking your budget. After all, the best parts of any country are the outdoors!
Give these things to do in Blenheim a go and make sure you don’t miss out on this awesome town when you are travelling around Aotearoa.
Be sure to check out our Instagram to see more of our favourite places in Aotearoa!
Take In The Views From Wither Hills Farm Park
This working farm/reserve is on the outskirts of Blenheim, with plenty of walking and even biking trails. Wander up one of the many tracks towards the hills and be rewarded with breathtaking views out over Blenheim and surrounds. If you get high enough, you can even see out to Picton and the Marlborough sounds.
The highest point in the park is Mt Vernon. You don’t need to go quite this high if all you are after are some good views. There is even a trail that follows the riverbed if you’d rather stay in the valley and away from any climbs.
The hills here are also a great spot to view the Aurora Australis if you get the chance!
Try The Wurst Seat In The Biergarten
Dodson Street Beer Garden is a mix of all nationalities. With German style beers, an English style name and a food menu from all over. They are home to the widest selection of craft beers in Marlborough. So if you want to try something new, this is the place to go. The smoked wings are delicious, but if you are a bit weird about eating chicken (sometimes wings weird Tiff out a little bit) maybe avoid them.
The best part of the entire experience is definitely the ‘wurst seat in the house’. Sit at this table, and you automatically get 20% off your bill for the night. That’s cheaper food and drinks! If you ask us, that makes it the best seat in the house. We sat here, of course, and then took our leftover pizza back to the van, conveniently parked at the freedom camp right across from the Beer garden. You don’t need to worry about a sober driver when your camp for the night is across from the craft brewery.
Geocache In Pollard Park
We’ve recently gotten back into Geocaching since our friends visited and reintroduced us to the fun of finding random little boxes in public spaces. You do need to pay for the full app. However the free version does have a geocache located in Pollard park. It’s a great way to give geocaching a go before purchasing the full app with access to all the geocaches around the world.
But even if you don’t want to try geocaching be sure to visit Pollard park. It’s a beautiful park to wander around, see some flowers, an edible garden and soak in the peaceful vibes at the stream.
Try Some Samples At The Chocolate Factory
We couldn’t tell you how many times we have ducked into Makana Confections to have a quick little try of the delicious macadamia butter toffee crunch. If we are driving nearby, we pop in and browse the chocolate selection or watch the chocolate being made whilst eating the sample given to you at the door.
Honestly, I’m surprised they didn’t start to recognise us, as we popped in here a lot when Tiff was working in Blenheim. We have purchased some of the macadamia butter toffee crunch once, but it was definitely a treat yourself occasion as it’s not cheap.
Well worth a mention and a stop whether you plan to buy anything or not, you just can’t turn down a free sample!
Visit The Japanese Gardens
Harling Park is a beautiful Japanese themed garden with walking access to Wither Hills. The tranquil gardens offer plenty of sheltered places to sit and take in the landscaping whilst listening to the babble of water. The hill just behind the park is a popular one for sliding down on bits of cardboard. You’ll find a box with cardboard in it next to the path up the hill for this purpose!
Sample The Local Wine
Blenheim is situated right in the Marlborough wine region and has many a vineyard for you to sample. Not all of them do free tastings, though. So be sure to check the going rate of a tasting before going to the cellar door. If the tastings aren’t free, we would often opt to get a glass of wine each and enjoy it outside or even with a little bit of food.
It just feels wrong to us to have to pay for a wine tasting. Especially if you don’t get that back when purchasing a bottle of wine. Maybe we are spoilt coming from the Margaret river region of Australia, but back home you never have to pay for wine tastings!
Some wineries we visited and loved included Wither Hills, The Fancy Cow and No. 1 Family Estate. The bubbles tasting is free at No.1 Family Estate and highly recommended. It’s the closest you’ll get to trying champagne without actually going to Champagne. The bubbles here are made in exactly the same way as they are in champagne, so be sure to give them a try!
Check Out The Markets
If you’re in Blenheim on the weekend, make sure you don’t miss out on the markets! There is one on Saturday and Sunday, so you can’t really miss them. The Redwoodtown markets are open on Saturday. Slightly smaller than the Sunday markets but with great stalls nonetheless. The redwood town market is in the parking lot near Woolworths in, you guessed it, Redwood. The Marlborough farmers market is held every Sunday, rain or shine, in the show grounds of the town. Fresh produce, craft stalls and delicious food trucks await!
Lunch At Saint Clair Family Estate
This is definitely not the cheapest thing to do in Blenheim, but it is super delicious and extra relaxing on a fine day when you can sit amongst the grape vines enjoying a glass of wine and some delicious kai (food).
A family run vineyard with plenty of awards under their belt. Cute facts about the family and business written on the tables, making you feel right at home in this vineyard restaurant and cellar door. We came here to celebrate the end of Tiff’s locum stint and treat ourselves to one of the fancy platters.
Bookings are recommended as this is a favourite with locals and tourists alike. When you book, make sure to sit outside amongst the vines!
Wander The Town And Explore Seymour Square
Everyone loves to wander around a town, checking out the local shops and getting a feel for the place. Blenheim town is small but full of lovely little pockets of beauty. Sadly, there isn’t an independent bookshop here. However, there is a super cool craft beer bar called 5 taps that Nathan highly recommends checking out. When you explore the town, make sure you include Seymour Square. It’s a beautiful little garden with plenty of flowers and character! Another must when wondering Blenheim is the board walk waterfront on the river.
Grove Town Lagoon
You can’t visit Blenheim without seeing the Wairau River. Grove town lagoon offers a walk along an oxbow section of the river, including wetlands and swamp area. It’s a great walk for spotting local birdlife and is one of the last natural remaining wetlands of the Wairau plain. Keep an eye out for pukeko, black shags and black swans whilst walking this short track around the wetlands. If you’re an avid bird watcher, there is a bird watching hut on the swamp land too! Once you’ve completed the walk, cross the road to the main section of the Wairau River, where you can do a spot of fishing if you have a New Zealand fishing license.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- 10 Incredible Things to do in Tasman Region of New Zealand
- 10 Free Things To Do In Nelson
- 10 Free and Cheap Things to do in New Plymouth
Leave A Comment