ESCAPE ROUTE

Fly direct from Australia’s east coast to Wellington in just over three hours. From there, you can jump on a domestic flight to Blenheim or board the Interislander ferry to cross Cook Strait, arriving in Picton. Sleep on the sounds at Furneaux Lodge (furneaux.co.nz) then base yourself close to the vineyards at Blenheim. Chateau Marlborough (marlboroughnz.co.nz) is a five-star hotel within a two-minute walk of the town centre. More at marlboroughnz.com