Travel: How to have a happy 48 hours in Malborough.

Sharon Stephenson spends 48 hours eating and drinking her way around Marlborough

It was British writer Rudyard Kipling who suggested that in order to understand a place, you first had to smell it.

Kipling would have loved Marlborough because if ever a place was created to excite our sense of smell it’s this vast region at the top of the South Island. Around 75 percent of New Zealand’s wine production happens here and the sweet aroma of fat, juicy grapes often floats on the gentle coastal breeze.

But Marlborough is more than just the poster child for wine (and cellar doors). There are great beaches, worldfamous bush walks and some of New Zealand’s best chefs doing clever things with the freshest produce.

Here’s how to do a fragrant weekend in Marlborough:

FRIDAY

6.00pm It’s a five-minute drive from Marlborough Airport to the Marlborough Vintners Hotel. This boutique but laid-back accommodation is tucked deep within the vines, under the shadow of the snow-quilted Richmond Range. Drop your bags before wandering outside, a glass of something local in your hand, to enjoy the spectacular view.

7.00pm The geographic gods were kind to Marlborough, giving it access to some of New Zealand’s best seafood, wild game and fresh produce. There’s no shortage of great places to sample it, including the award-winning Arbour in Renwick, where owners Liz Buttimore and Bradley Hornby wave the flag for foraging, seasonal ingredients and punches of flavour, such as warehou with leek custard and marmalade. You’ll want to save room for dessert, especially if it comes in the form of whipped cheesecake with gingerbread crumble.

SATURDAY

9.00am Weekends were made for sleep-ins and lazy brunches