s we drive up the ‘valley of grapes’ after leaving Blenheim, there are vineyards on each side of the road for miles – their names read like a who’s who of the wine industry. Impressed with the health of New Zealand wine producers, I notice the landscape begins to change as we follow the Wairau River up into the hill country. The turn off for the Rainbow Ski Area in the St Arnaud Range marks the entrance to the high country and the boundary between the Marlborough and Tasman districts. The town of St Arnaud a short distance down the road is the
