Marlborough Gardens and Parks – Places to Go

Pollard Park is an extensive park in the north of Blenheim, covering 26.4 hectares, providing a popular venue for weddings, picnics and family gatherings. Pollard Park is a classic Victorian style garden with a contemporary playground. The park is the venue for outdoor concerts, festival events and market days.

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The park is a working farm managed by the local government. The Wither Hills Farm Park offers a brilliant range of walking and mountain biking tracks on a 1,100ha working sheep and cattle farm just minutes from Blenheim’s CBD. Walking tracks lead to views of Blenheim and the Wairau Valley, and Cloudy Bay. There are short easy strolls along the base of the hills.

Check out how to get to Wither Hills Farm Park

Taylor Dam is the largest earth flood protection structure in New Zealand and a popular Blenheim recreational reserve and wildlife habitat. Taylor River Reserve is a floodway and recreation reserve that runs from Taylor Dam to Riverside Park in Central Blenheim.

The Wither Hills park forms the southern boundary of the reserve. 

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Explore a pocket-sized reserve with its regenerating forest and conservation story involving the local schools. The former deek park is a reserve nearby Picton. The 4ha reserve is also the best example of valley flat treelands in the Para Ecological District contains a nationally endangered plant, the yellow mistletoe (Alepis flavida). Koromiko Forest Planting.

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MCKENDRY RESERVE, MARLBOROUGH – FREE FRUIT

A gem of a public reserve with spring daffodil massed blooms and extensive heritage fruit tree plantings in a former commercial orchard in Springlands. The council online resource invites visitors to visit the former plum orchard bounded by Murphys Creek on one side and by walnut trees on the other three. The orchard has been under-planted with a large collection of daffodils. Please help yourself to the fruit.

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Mount Richmond Forest Park is one of New Zealand’s largest parks at 166,000 hectares. The substantial beech forest covers the rugged mountain ranges. The park spans several regions and comprises most of the steep native forest-covered mountain country between Nelson and Blenheim. There are also areas of commercially forested pine plantations on public land. The mountainous landscape is a favourite advanced tramping destination.

Massed romantic glory in pastel shades is a homage to Monet inspired garden style. The massive blue hydrangeas lining the driveway are stunning. This is a spring and summer garden complete with a creek bisecting the property. The garden is open by appointment only and is a regular in the Garden Festival.

Imagine a boutique cottage surrounded by the formal lines of a vineyard. It is rural charm at its best. Welton House Garden is contemporary with interesting botanical plants and clever use of space to highlight special corners. The cottage comes with its own private swimming pool. Highlights include unique and extensive topiary hedges which mirror the Richmond Ranges and powerful oversized wooden steps, platforms, and pergolas that settle the garden in its place. The vineyard and garden practice composting and return to nature principles. Picton.

Wedding in the plans or a special occasion then Woodend Gardens & Vineyard seven acres of garden and a 10-acre vineyard of sauvignon blanc grapes is a popular choice. Large specimen trees add depth and character to the formal hedging and plantings. Look for the flowering chestnuts and magnolias in spring. 

Open by appointment for groups and private tours.

Sweeping 10 acres of structured formal garden and park-like grounds is a place to wander and relax. The formal hedged garden beds are home to massed peonies and other dramatic plantings. The dramatic garden lines are delineated by sculptural features.

Visitors are welcome between October through to December. Prior arrangement is required and an admission fee applies.

One of New Zealand’s six-star gardens of international significance is a must-go destination for lovers of cultivated spaces, gardens and parks. Barewood Garden is a semi-formal country garden style framed with mature trees. The original homestead with its wide verandahs, summer roses is a comfortable counterpoint to the deep herbaceous borders and sweeping lawns. A visitor favourite is the hawthorn walk guiding you through a grassed meadow to a pair of summerhouses and a secluded pond fringed with water plants, willows and silver birches. 

Barewood Garden is open from 1st October through to 30th April. Please contact prior to your visit. There is an admission fee.

Discover a slice of Marlborough brilliance with 1.5 hectares of sculptured garden nestled within an organic vineyard. There is a native garden along the creek, a secluded rock and fern garden, and an elevated garden with views overlooking the vineyards across to the Richmond range.

There is luxury accommodation on site. Pets are also welcome, by prior appointment.