Marlborough, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
| Marlborough Region | ||
| Location | ||
|---|---|---|
 Marlborough in relation to New Zealand Marlborough in relation to Upper South Island |
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| Statistics | ||
| Capital: | Blenheim Blenheim, New Zealand Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry... |
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| Area: | 12,484 km² | |
| Population: | ||
| Districts: | 21 | |
| Area code: | 03 | |
Marlborough is one of the regions of New Zealand, located in the northeast of the South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Marlborough is a unitary authority, both a region and a district, and its council is located at Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
. Marlborough is known for its dry climate, the picturesque Marlborough Sounds
Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand...
, and sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
wine.
Geography
Marlborough's geography can be roughly divided into four sections. Two of these sections, in the south and the west, are mountainous. This is particularly true of the southern section, which rises to the peaks of the Kaikoura RangesKaikoura Ranges
The Kaikoura Ranges are two parallel ranges of mountains in the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand.Formed along New Zealand's Marlborough Fault System, they can be seen as the northernmost extension of the Southern Alps in the South Island....
. These two mountainous regions are the final northern vestiges of the ranges that make up the Southern Alps
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the island's western side...
, although that name is rarely applied to mountains this far north.
Wairau River
The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for 170 kilometres from the Spenser Mountains , firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley in inland Marlborough.The river's lower reaches are noted for the surrounding...
. This broadens to wide plains at its eastern end, in the centre of which stands the town of Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
. This region has fertile soil and temperate weather, and as such has become a centre of the New Zealand wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
industry.
Marlborough's fourth geographic zone lies along its north coast. Here, the drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds
Marlborough Sounds
The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand...
make for a convoluted and attractive coastline. The town of Picton
Picton, New Zealand
Picton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is close to the head of Queen Charlotte Sound near the north-east corner of the South Island. The population was 2928 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 72 from 2001...
is located at the southern end of one of the larger sounds, Queen Charlotte Sound
Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand
Queen Charlotte Sound is the easternmost of the main sounds of the Marlborough Sounds, in New Zealand's South Island. It is, like the other sounds, a drowned river valley , and like the majority of its neighbours it runs southwest to northeast before joining Cook Strait.The town of Picton, the...
.
Important towns
BlenheimBlenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
is the region's capital. It also has the largest population of the area.
Its major towns are:
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Seddon, New Zealand Seddon is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, 25 kilometres south of Blenheim and 20 km north of Ward... Ward, New Zealand Ward is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, 20 kilometres south of Seddon. Kaikoura is 82 km to the southwest... |
Renwick, New Zealand Renwick is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand, close to the south bank of the Wairau River. It is located on State Highway 6, 12 km west of Blenheim. Havelock is 31 km north... Clarence, New Zealand Clarence is a small town in Marlborough, in the South Island of New Zealand. It was named after King William IV of the United Kingdom, who prior to his accession was Duke of Clarence.... Clifford Bay, New Zealand Clifford Bay is a bay in the northeast of the South Island of New Zealand, in the Marlborough Region. It lies between Cloudy Bay to the northwest, and Cape Campbell, the easternmost point of the South Island... |
Economy
The sub-national GDP of the Marlborough region was estimated at US$1.193 billion in 2003, 1% of New Zealand's national GDP.People and government
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
, the Marlborough District Council. Between 1859 and 1876 Marlborough had its own provincial government, and was known as the Marlborough Province
Marlborough Province
The Marlborough Province operated as a province of New Zealand from 1859 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The province of Marlborough split away from Nelson Province on 1 November 1859.-History:...
, which ended when the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on 1 Nov 1876.
Much of the region's population is found around the coastal plains around and to the south of the mouth of the Wairau, and in smaller settlements along the coast of the Sounds. Apart from the main urban areas of Blenheim and Picton, Marlborough's towns include Havelock
Havelock, New Zealand
Havelock is a coastal village in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It sits at the head of Pelorus Sound, one of the Marlborough Sounds. The population was 486 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 12 from 2001....
, Renwick
Renwick, New Zealand
Renwick is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand, close to the south bank of the Wairau River. It is located on State Highway 6, 12 km west of Blenheim. Havelock is 31 km north...
, Ward
Ward, New Zealand
Ward is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, 20 kilometres south of Seddon. Kaikoura is 82 km to the southwest...
, and Seddon
Seddon, New Zealand
Seddon is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, 25 kilometres south of Blenheim and 20 km north of Ward...
. For some purposes, the town of Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
is also considered part of Marlborough.
Marlborough's world-famous former residents include rocket scientist William Pickering
William Hayward Pickering
William Hayward Pickering ONZ KBE was a New Zealand born rocket scientist who headed Pasadena, California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory for 22 years, retiring in 1976...
and Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning physicist Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford
Ernest Rutherford, 1st Baron Rutherford of Nelson OM, FRS was a New Zealand-born British chemist and physicist who became known as the father of nuclear physics...
.
famous citizens: Marta Dzy, Antonio Haftka
Wine
Marlborough can lay claim to starting the modern New Zealand wineNew Zealand wine
New Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending . They are, from north to south Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury/Waipara and Central...
industry. Here in the late 1970s, Marlborough produced Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
, among other varieties, which led to confidence that New Zealand could produce interesting wine.
Today, the Marlborough wine region represents 62% of total vineyard area in the country http://www.wine-marlborough.co.nz/home.htm. The king varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
here is Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
, closely followed by Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
and Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
.
The strong contrast between hot sunny days and cool nights help vintners extend the ripening period of their vines like nowhere else, resulting in unique expressions of their grapes. For example, Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
from Marlborough offer unique aromas and flavors, which earns them much praise from wine lovers around the world.
The majority of Marlborough's extensive vineyard plantings are around Renwick
Renwick, New Zealand
Renwick is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand, close to the south bank of the Wairau River. It is located on State Highway 6, 12 km west of Blenheim. Havelock is 31 km north...
, Blenheim
Blenheim, New Zealand
Blenheim is the most populous town in the region of Marlborough, in the north east of the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the regional council. It has a population of The area which surrounds the town is well known as a centre of New Zealand's wine industry...
, and Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay
Cloudy Bay is located at the northeast of New Zealand's South Island, to the south of the Marlborough Sounds. The area lends its name to one of the best known New World white wines although the grapes used in production of that wine are grown in the Marlborough wine region further inland.The bay...
in the Wairau valley. Further south in the Awatere valley are plantings near Seddon
Seddon, New Zealand
Seddon is a small town in Marlborough, New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, 25 kilometres south of Blenheim and 20 km north of Ward...
. These are for the most part on old terraces of the Wairau
Wairau River
The Wairau River is one of the longest rivers in New Zealand's South Island. It flows for 170 kilometres from the Spenser Mountains , firstly in a northwards direction and then northeast down a long, straight valley in inland Marlborough.The river's lower reaches are noted for the surrounding...
and Awatere
Awatere River
The Awatere River is a large river flowing through Marlborough, New Zealand. Flowing along the trace of the active Awatere Fault, it runs northeast through a straight valley to the west of the Inland Kaikoura mountains...
rivers.
The area is widely considered by many critics to produce the world's best Sauvignon Blanc. One wine critic said that "no other region in the world can match Marlborough, the northeastern corner of New Zealand's South Island, which seems to be the best place in the world to grow Sauvignon blanc grapes." Marisco Vineyards, Hunters Wines, Cloudy Bay Vineyards
Cloudy Bay Vineyards
Cloudy Bay Vineyards is a winery in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. The winery is primarily noted for its Sauvignon Blanc wines, and have played an important pioneering role in establishing New Zealand's and Marlborough's reputation. Cloudy Bay's first commercial vintage was produced in 1985...
, Saint Clair Estate Winery and Grove Mill
Grove Mill
Grove Mill winery was established in 1988 and is located in Marlborough, New Zealand.The winery was founded by group of local grape growers and wine enthusiasts who purchased the Malt house , a historic landmark in Grovetown, Blenheim, and transformed it into a 150 tonne winery. By 1993, demand...
are notable vineyards in the region. Also important is the production of Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
s, particularly near Renwick, from Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
, Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
and Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
.
See also
- New Zealand wineNew Zealand wineNew Zealand wine is largely produced in ten major wine growing regions spanning latitudes 36° to 45° South and extending . They are, from north to south Northland, Auckland, Waikato/Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury/Waipara and Central...
- List of schools in Marlborough