Marlborough, New Zealand, D'urville Island, Marlborough Sounds, Queen Charlotte, Picton,

The journey to d’Urville Island is almost as breathtaking as the island itself. Whether you arrive by road or by sea, you’ll be surrounded by spectacular Marlborough Sounds scenery. If you’re staying on the island, expect a dawn chorus loud enough to wake the deepest sleeper. D’Urville is possum-free, so the native forest is alive with tui, bellbirds, native robins, weka and kaka. The surrounding sea is just as populated, with dolphins, seals, seabirds and plenty of fish. Tracks take you through rainforest to waterfalls, river pools and huge views. Mountain bikes are welcome.

Marlborough Sounds is a collection of ancient sunken river valleys filled with the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Forested hills rise steeply from the sea around an intricate coastline of sheltered inlets and sandy bays. The area has three main bodies of water - Queen Charlotte, Kenepuru and Pelorous Sounds. The Department of Conservation manages over 50 reserves in this scenic playground.

Several islands within the sounds are predator-free sanctuaries for native wildlife. Motuara, Long, Blumine and Allports Islands are ideal for picnics, forest walks or viewing historic sites.

According to Maori tradition, the South Island is the canoe of Aoraki. Its sunken prow forms Queen Charlotte Sound/Totaranui and Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere. The sounds provided good shelter and food for Maori people. To avoid travelling out into the open sea to get from one sound to another, they carried their waka/canoes over low saddles.

Captain Cook also used the sounds for shelter and food. He made Ship Cove his base in the 1770s and discovered a plant (Cook's scurvy grass) that is high in vitamin C to cure scurvy.

Today, the sounds are popular for kayaking and hiking, and there are numerous tent camping sites available. Kayaks, yachts and motor launches are available for hire or charter.

Walking tracks in the area range from short trails of an hour or two to overnight hikes through native forests and along beautiful sandy beaches. Five of the tracks are open to mountain bikes.

Picton (on Queen Charlotte Sound) and Havelock (on Pelorous Sound) are the main towns in the area. The large passenger and vehicle ferries from Wellington arrive at Picton.

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 valley, and like the majority of its neighbours it runs southwest to northeast before joining Cook Strait.

The town of Picton, the northern terminus of the South Island's railway and State Highway networks, lies near the head of the Sound. Other settlements by the sound are small and isolated - often simply individual properties. Due to the rugged nature of the coast, for many of these access is by boat only.

To the east of the sound lie Arapawa Island and Tory Channel. Interisland ferries use Tory Channel and Queen Charlotte Sound on their journeys between Picton and Wellington in the North Island.

The picturesque seaside town of Picton is the South Island base for the ferry service that links the main islands of New Zealand. It’s also the gateway to the marine, forest and island attractions of the Marlborough Sounds.

Built around a very sheltered harbour, the town has an attractive seafront dotted with cafés, restaurants and various types of galleries. There’s also a floating maritime museum and an aquarium. Local operators can take you cruising, fishing, dolphin watching or sea kayaking. The Queen Charlotte Track is a major local attraction; you can conquer it on foot or on a mountain bike.

Sniff the air in Renwick and see if you can detect the scent of Sauvignon Blanc. This is wine country, where you can cycle from one vineyard to the next (bikes are available for hire). The town is small, but there are B & Bs, cottages and various other types of accommodation scattered around the district.

Many of the wineries offer wine tasting as well as lunch and dinner. There is evidence that grapes were planted in the district as early as 1870, but it was only in the 1970s that the Marlborough phenomenon burst into life. 85% of New Zealand’s Sauvignon Blanc is grown here; Pinot Noir is the region’s other specialty.

Blenheim is situated in the heart of wine-growing Marlborough. It is one of the sunniest towns in New Zealand, with an estimated average of 2,438 hours of sunshine a year. Mountains frame the area and trap the summer heat (temperatures over 30°C are quite normal in February and March).

In and around Blenheim you’ll find a pleasing selection of cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, artisan food outlets and golf courses. There are more than 20 wineries within driving distance of the town, and most of them welcome visitors for sampling sessions and cellar door sales. Character accommodation is a Blenheim speciality.