Located at the top of the South Island of New Zealand, Blenheim is home to some of New Zealand’s most renowned vintners. Blenheim is also home to approximately 30,000 people, so there is no shortage of things to see and do if you have a free day.
Shopping and eating are the favorite pastimes of many travellers and I’m no exception. I found plenty of shopping and eating opportunities to keep me occupied during the one day that I spent in Blenheim in December 2010. Find more information on what else to see in this area here.
Shopping in Blenheim
Blenheim is a small town so the city centre is nice and compact. There are only two or three main shopping streets which are Market Road and Maxwell Road. This will suffice if you are after something shiny and new to buy. Cerise Homeware and Gifts on Maxwell Road have a gorgeous selection of quite unique jewelry to lust after.
Thomas’s is the closest Blenheim has to a department store and it’s an upmarket one at that. There are gorgeous quilts that will have you convinced that you need a new one. There’s also an adequate selection of women’s fashion labels that will leave you umming and ahhing about whether to indulge long after you’ve left the store.
If your budget is more suited to the recycled and budget clothing end of the spectrum, then you’re also in luck. Lose yourself amongst the endless racks of used clothing at Savemart’s massive warehouse on Arthur Street. It’s only a couple of blocks over from the main retail strip.
If antiques are more your thing, then take a five minute drive out to Just Browsing on Battys Road. Like any self-respecting antique store, there are two large rooms filled from floor to ceiling with every imaginable trinket posing as an antique. But before you get carried away by any of the larger pieces of antique furniture, bear in mind that they only do free delivery in the Blenheim area.
Eating in Blenheim
Just like the variety of shopping in Blenheim, there is no shortage of gastronomic experiences to be had in Blenheim. These range from spur of the moment cherry picking at any one of the many fruit orchards in the area through to some serious wine tasting at any one of the many outstanding vineyards in the area.
If you’re in the city centre and just need a quick pit stop to replenish the energy levels, grab a kebab from Aladdins. Their chicken and lamb kebab with yoghurt and garlic sauce is so huge that you could just about go halves with someone.
If you’ve arrived at Blenheim airport and have picked up a rental car, head east on Old Renwick Road and pull in at one of the cherry orchards. Either pick your own, or buy a one-kilo box of first grade cherries to enjoy in the car. Nothing makes you feel quite like you’re on holiday like picking your own fruit less than 20 minutes after you’ve stepped off the plane.
And if you are feeling like something a little more substantial than freshly picked sunkissed cherries, then you’re in luck. The greater Marlborough region is home to approximately 64 vineyards so you are spoiled for choice when it comes to sampling some of the best food and wine in the area.
Hunters Vineyard has a sculpture trail so if you like to combine your food and wine with art, this is the place for you. I recommend their gorgeous seafood chowder. And to accompany it if you have a sweet tooth, their Late Harvest Riesling, Hukapapa 2009.
Shopping and Eating in Blenheim
If you’ve not been to Blenheim previously, then you’ll be pleasantly delighted at the range of shopping and eating options available to you. Blenheim is a small town and whilst the shopping won’t be on par with what you could get in New York, there are some gorgeous trinkets to be found in the retail stores, and some memorable food and wine to be shared.
