Marlborough region, NZ, with kids

The little creek at Pollard Park

We spent 10 days in sunny Blenheim at the end of July 2016.

We went to Blenheim from Franz Josef and it was a long drive. It took us around 7 hours, counting the one stop. To make things better, it was raining a lot on the first hours, and the winds were crazy. We found 2 trees fallen on the road – blocking one side only, luckily.

As we approached Marlborough, the sun started showing its face and by the time we got to Blenheim, it was a glorious afternoon.

We had probably 2 rainy days during our stay, but the rain never lasted for long.

A ‘little’ winery…

I loved it.

The 10 days were spent in this house. I LOVED it! It was the best house we had so far. Absolutely loved it. Super warm, clean, super comfortable, super spacious. It had everything – absolutely everything – we needed. Even Netflix.

I loved waking up and being able to do the morning yoga on the sunny deck – and trust me, it was warm outside! I can’t recommend it enough. We had booked for a week because we were going to be spontaneous and find somewhere to stay on the way from Franz Josef, but last minute decided it would be better to have a longer stay to rest. The host extended our stay super fast and easy. She also replied to our questions very quickly every time.

A dam and its inhabitants

The kids had a blast. They barely wanted to leave the house. They loved the board games, the block toys, the super fast internet, and space, all the space.

So, to tell you the truth, we loved the house so much we didn’t really get out a lot.

Marlborough Sounds, you’re really pretty

We walked around the center and it was highly disappointing not to find one place that sells burgers at 2 pm. Really. We walked through most of the cafes. Sad. We had to stop by the supermarket and buy the ingredients to make it for ourselves.

But it’s a cute place. It’s got a museums, library, lots of shops and charming cafés.

We drove around Blenheim, in between the so many wineries. I mean it. It was grape plants as far as the eye could see. Crazy.

Rock tower building

We had an afternoon at Pollard Park. It’s a big park with a nice playground and many exercise areas. We played a lot in the exercise areas. I think they’re even more fun than the playground. Besides that, there’s this artificial river that’s just beautiful. We spent a lot of time there, watching the ducks race, crossing the little bridge, Geocaching and just taking in the sunset colors against the trees.

Out of Blenheim, we spent a day in Picton. We walked, watched the ferries pass, saw a live possum on the road at Queen Charlotte Drive. We made rocks bounce on the calm waters of Port Underwood. We saw historic archaeologic sites at Waikawa Bay. We watched the amazing Marlborough Sounds.

We also enjoyed a few hours at Clifford Bay, in Seddon. Love the rocky shores, we find rocks of so many shapes and colors! We made rock towers and found heart shaped rocks everywhere.

Trying to make rocks bounce on the water

Marlborough was perfect for the closure of our South Island stay. It’s warmer, sunnier and gorgeous.

And our video showing a little bit of Marlborough region!