Blenheim Tourist Attractions
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The town of Blenheim lies on Highway 1 near the north end of the South Island, on the Wairau plain near the mouth of the Wairau River. The Blenheim area is one of the sunniest in New Zealand, with no fewer than 2600 hours of sunshine in the year.The old government buildings in High Street are now occupied by the police. At the corner of High Street and Seymour Street is the cannon in return for which Captain Blenkinsopp claimed to have acquired Te Rauparaha's land in the Wairau area in 1831.
Brayshaw Museum Park
In the Brayshaw Museum Park are old agricultural implements and a reconstruction of an immigrants' settlement.
Surroundings
There are several attractions in the Blenheim surrounding area.
Wairau Affray Memorial
At Tuamarina, between Blenheim and Picton on Highway 1, is a monument commemorating the Wairau affray. Those who fell in the battle are buried on the nearby hill.
Riverlands Cob Cottage
4km south of Blenheim on Highway 1 is the Riverlands Cob Cottage (1859), built of cob (a mixture of clay and chopped straw), a reminder of the early European settlement.
Lake Grassmere
35km south on Highway 1 is Lake Grassmere, on which are the only saltpans in New Zealand. Seawater is pumped into the main lake, which has an area of almost 700ha and is then left to evaporate in small ponds. An average of 50,000 tonnes of sea salt is produced here every year. Gleaming white pyramids of salt are visible everywhere.
