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Situated at the top of the South Island and in New
Zealand's sunniest province, Marlborough's Timara Lodge is ideally placed to offer its
guests a memorable experience.
Marlborough is endowed with a magnificent beauty, made
up of stunning hills and crystal clear waterways. Townships in the immediate region
include Blenheim, Seddon, Picton and Havelock.
Marlborough's central location provides a base for many
wine companies and a burgeoning gourmet food industry. Visitors to the region often leave
with bottles of wine from internationally renowned labels such as Spy Valley, Cloudy Bay,
Montana and Hunters wines.
A little further a field, you can cruise the
magnificent Marlborough Sounds waterways or walk the renowned Queen Charlotte Track
experiencing native bush and bird life. For the more adventurous, you can go whale
watching and swim with dolphins at nearby Kaikoura, or try fly-fishing at one of the many
local rivers.
Marlborough, the region with heart, offers something
for all visitors. |
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Timara Lodge’s beautiful gardens are maintained by a team of experienced and
knowledgeable gardeners and include: sweeping lawns fully mature - some more than a
century old, native and exotic trees, an historic arboretum and gorgeous iris and
rhododendron walks.
Amidst the 25 acres of magnificent gardens is a
five-acre, man-made lake and an extensive and immaculately kept English-style garden.
Recalling the charm of days gone by, the elegant
landscaped gardens team with native bird life. When you stay at Timara Lodge, you can wake
each morning to the sweet sound of bird song: the inquisitive peep of fantails, the
distinctive chime of bellbirds, the chatter of tuis and silver eyes.
Wood pigeons swoop from branch to branch, their wings
ponderously beating the air. The placid lake attracts waterfowl of all kinds, including
black swans and ducks.
Taking a walk through the garden is a beautiful and
energising way to start your day at Timara Lodge.
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Leisure time at Timara Lodge is simply your own. Relax lazily by the pool, stroll through
the beautiful gardens or play a game of tennis. Nearby, is our adjoining Spy Valley winery
where you can take a tour and sample Marlborough's acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot
Noir.
Many of the other local wineries also have excellent
restaurants offering lunch menus that feature the very best local produce: salmon, venison
and mussels.
For the active guests, a round of golf can be played at
the nearby Fairhall Golf Course. There are also a variety of private gardens and boutique
olive groves to visit. Fine art galleries and local craft studios are all within a short
distance of Timara Lodge.
After your day’s adventures, you can rest, read in
the library or join other guests whilst enjoying a vintage wine, fine malt whiskey or
cognac. |
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Adjoining Timara Lodge is the Johnson Estate vineyards, situated on the sunny southern
side of Marlborough's Wairau Valley. The estate is nestled on the terraces of the Omaka
River and adjacent to Timara Lodge. Spy Valley is a colloquial name for Marlborough's
Waihopai Valley, derived from the presence of a satellite communications monitoring base.
Eight varieties of grapes and over 360 acres produce
premium quality fruit for Spy Valley Wine. The fertile, free draining stony soils result
from successive flood events and glacial outwash deposits over the previous 10,000 years.
At Spy Valley, emphasis on viticultural excellence
creates wines that capture the essence of the environment and are classically Marlborough.
Owning all our vineyards ensures total control of the winemaking process, true single
vineyard estate production. |
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Timara Lodge’s guests can take advantage of visiting the adjoining Spy Valley Winery
for tastings and wine purchases. A 2000 tonne state of the art new winery opened to the
public in December 2003 and will be fully operational for the 2003 vintage.
With the focus firmly on quality, the Spy Valley winery
hosts an impressive array of modern winemaking equipment designed to assist the winemaker
to produce better quality wines.
In keeping with their sustainable winegrape growing
practices, the winery is environmentally considerate and energy efficient. The building
was a year in the design process and took 18 months to complete. Architecturally designed
to meld into the stunning Marlborough landscape, the buildings incorporate the
administration centre, function facility and public tasting rooms. The cellar door is now
open, providing visitors the opportunity to sample and buy Spy Valley wines directly from
the winery.
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