Sharing a place in the sun

Press, 16 August 1983, Page 27

Sharing a place in the sun

The province of Marlborough seems to have been blessed with more than its fair share of nature’s gifts. It enjoys the most sunshine in the country, stable temperatures and gentle seasons; its soils are fertile, its pastoral landscapes prosperous and pretty. But it is the coastline that is Marlborough’s greatest scenic asset.

The Marlbourgh Sounds were formed when the sea flooded the original valley system to fill deep, placid waterways between the steep, bush-clad hills. Sheltered from the winds that buffet Cook Strait, the Sounds offer an enormous range of recreational opportunities and an unrivalled sense of peace and serenity.

The Cook Strait rail ferries and a profusion of air services link the province with Wellington, providing a summer haven for thousands of holidaymakers. Marlborough is also one of the most popular spots for Christchurch’s holiday throngs, many with their own boats, who disappear into the Sounds for days on end to laze close to sun and water, miles away from anywhere. Beaches, bush and bays, rivers full of trout, and hill country that is a paradise for hunters and trampers all contribute to Marlborough’s attraction for visitors.

To the people who have made the province their home, a comfortable living can be made from a wide variety of local industries. As well as the more traditional farming and forestry, commerce and service industries, Marlborough has encouraged some unique local enterprises. Vineyards and mussel farms have become popular investments. New Zealand’s only salt

works can be seen at Lake Grassmere; orchards and horticulture flourish in the warm climate. The business centre of Marlborough is Blenheim, a town of about 17,000 people. Attractively laid out, the town makes a feature of its gardens and riverside reserves. Pollard Park is the main recreational reserve and is worth a visit, either to enjoy the flower beds and duck pond or to indulge in more active pastimes on the tennis courts, playing fields and golfcourse.

Picton lies just 30km from Blenheim and is the province’s aquatic centre. The sheltered deep-water port is the South Island terminal for the Cook Strait ferries that bring both passengers and freight from Wellington. Administered by the Marlborough Harbour Board, the port handles about 800,000 passengers and 2.5 million tonnes of freight each year. Situated at the heart of beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound, Picton is also the tourist centre of Marlborough. Commercial launches and water taxis provide access to the many guest houses, holiday homes and isolated farms that are spread over the length of Queen Charlotte Sound. For most, the only link with civilisation is by water; roads through the dense bush and steep hills are few. Pleasure boats in the Sounds are numbered in thousands and range in size from large yachts that are floating homes to small runabouts. The Harbour Board has provided a series of marinas for the use of boat owners in Waikawa, Picton and Havelock. At the end of Pelorus Sound, Havelock links the

Sounds west of Queen Charlotte with the main Blenheim to Nelson highway. There is also road access from Havelock to Picton by way of the winding but scenic Queen Charlotte Drive. Havelock is the centre of the mussel farming industry, the newest and fastestgrowing industry in the Sounds. It also boasts two of New Zealand’s most famous scientists, Lord Rutherford, who split the atom, and Dr William Pickering, the space scientist, both of whom attended the Havelock Primary School. The Marlborough province is one of New Zealand’s most historicallysignificant areas, both preand- post-European settlement. Legend has it that Marlborough soil was the first touched by the Maori explorer Kupe about 950 A.D. More than 800 years later it was the place Captain James Cook chose to hoist the Union Jack for the first time in New Zealand.

Whaling stations, gold mining and sawmilling ventures followed, all contribut-

ing to the colourful tapestry of local history, while Queen Charlotte Sound was the target of a number of raids by the infamous Maori

leader Te Rauparaha. The tranquility of Marlborough today belies its interesting and often violent past, but many memorials

are dotted about the area commemorating events and personalities responsible for the development of this unqiue and lovely province.