Marlborough (New Zealand)

Marlborough-Kaikoura is on the east coast of the South Island. The long Wairau Valley divides Marlborough. To the north are the Richmond Ranges and beyond that the drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds. To the south is Kaikoura Flat and then the Kaikoura Ranges and coast. As the prevailing wind is westerly, Marlborough-Kaikoura's climate is hot and dry in summer and generally rather dry all year round.

Marlborough-Kaikoura has been settled by Māori for a millennium. Like all parts of Aotearoa (New Zealand), Marlborough-Kaikoura was contested amongst various iwi (tribes). Of those tribes recognized as being in existence today, Marlborough-Kaikoura was a Rangitane, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kuia and Ngai Tahu stronghold up until the musket wars of 1806-1845 when invading iwi from Taranaki (Ngāti Toa, Ngāti Rarua, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Kōata and Te Atiawa) used the musket against the defenders armed only with spears and clubs. While Rangitane, Ngāti Apa, Ngāti Kuia and Ngai Tahu were to a greater or lesser extent routed, it is argued that conquest is only part of the customary land acquisition process and accordingly the defending iwi retained rights to the land. Even the nature of the customary relationships between tribes in boundary areas is disputed with one view being that fixed and determined boundary lines were a Pakeha construct unknown to Māori.

Today all the iwi named above are recognized as having influence in Te Tau Ihu (the top of the South Island). Ngai Tahu is recognized as having a sphere of influence emanating from Kaikoura and points south. Rangitane are recognized as having influence in the Wairau Valley. Ngāti Toa and Ngāti Rarua have shared influence over all of Marlborough-Kaikoura but especially concentrated on Port Underwood. Te Atiawa are recognized as having influence in Queen Charlotte Sound. Ngāti Apa retained influence in Port Gore and towards the West Coast. Ngāti Koata had influence on Rangitoto (D'Urville Is). Ngāti Kuia has influence in the inner Pelorus Sound, with Ngāti Tama having influence closer to Nelson.

The Crown went about purchasing and taking land which they wanted for settlers in the 1850s. Settlement continued apace. The first major industry of the region was flax and remnants of the flax milling industry can be seen on the road between Spring Creek and Rarangi. Until the grape boom in the late 1980s, Marlborough sheep and beef farmers struggled with drought on stony country. The change to the historic province of Marlborough brought by grapes has been substantial.

In 1770, Captain Cook discovered the Kaikoura peninsula, believing it to be an island at first. Early European settlers used Kaikoura as a whaling station and the remains of pots used to render the whale blubber can be seen on the town foreshore.

Following the 1989 local government reforms, the Marlborough District and Kaikoura District fell under the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council. However three years later the regional council broke up and its functions were delegated to the district councils, becoming unitary authorities. The Kaikoura district however was too small to survive as a unitary authority and was transferred to the Canterbury Region.

The claim brought by Ngai Tahu against the historical actions of the Crown was settled in the late 1990s. The Te Tau Ihu claim was settled in the 2010s.

Main article: Cook Strait ferries

Regular passenger and vehicle ferry services link Wellington in the North Island with Picton. The journey takes around 3.5 hours, with the southern portion of the route travelling through Tory Channel and the upper Queen Charlotte Sound.

• 🌍 Bluebridge (Strait Shipping), 1 Lagoon Road, Picton, ☏ +64 4 471 6188, toll-free: 0800 844 844, bookings@bluebridge.co.nz. Offers 3-4 sailings per day with two ships: Straitsman and Strait Feronia. 
• 🌍 Interislander, Auckland Street, Picton, ☏ +64 4 498 3302, toll-free: 0800 802 802, bookings@interislander.co.nz. Offers 5 sailings per day with three ships: Aratere, Kaiarahi and Kaitaki. 

InterCity coaches and smaller shuttle buses run Picton–Christchurch and Picton–Blenheim–Nelson. Nelson Lakes Shuttles specialise in providing transport for trampers, hikers, climbers, mountain bikers and skiers. They run on-demand and scheduled services to St Arnaud, Nelson Lakes National Park, Kahurangi National Park, the Richmond Ranges and tramping destinations further afield.

The Coastal Pacific (formerly TranzCoastal) stops in Blenheim, Picton, Seddon and Kaikoura (where the station is on Whaleway Station Road, presumably named because Whale Watch Kaikoura operate out of the station). A fantastic way to see the Kaikoura coast and Marlborough.

• 🌍 Woodbourne Airport (Marlborough Airport). at Woodbourne, 10 minutes from Blenheim and 4min from Renwick on State Highway 6. Blenheim Airport is serviced by Air New Zealand with flights to Auckland and Wellington. Sounds Air, mainly based out of Picton Airport, flies to Wellington, Kapiti Coast (at Paraparaumu, just north of Wellington), Napier and Christchurch from Woodbourne. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Kaikoura Aerodrome. is one of New Zealand's smaller airports. It's not an airstrip, as the runway is sealed for a smoother landing. Don't expect to join crowds of other passengers filing aboard a wide bodied jet, or even a narrow bodied one. You'll fly in a plane the size of a compact car, where every seat has a window, or two, and a door as well. You might even get to sit alongside the pilot, so don't play with the controls! Oh, and you will have to carry your own bags, so pack well and don't have too much luggage; excess baggage doesn't fly. (updated Dec 2017)
• 🌍 Picton Aerodrome. located 5min south of Picton and 15min north of Blenheim off State Highway 1 (SH1), is the base for Sounds Air. This commuter airline flies to Wellington as well as offering scenic flights around the Marlborough Sounds. Picton is also used by Skydive the Sounds. (updated Dec 2017)

State Highway 1 runs north-south through Marlborough, linking Picton, Blenheim, Seddon and Kaikoura south to Christchurch. State Highway 6 from Nelson runs east from Nelson via Havelock to meet SH 1 at Blenheim. State Highway 63 runs from State Highway 6 at Kawatiri via St Arnaud to SH 6 at Renwick (10 km west of Blenheim), providing a direct route from the West Coast to Marlborough avoiding Nelson.