BLENHEIM WEATHER AND GEOGRAPHY

Home Links Photos Soaring Stories Weather Location and Trial Flights

Blenheim lies at the north eastern edge of New Zealand's mainland, being only a short distance across Cook Strait from New Zealand's largest off shore island and the capital city, Wellington.  The Wairau River  forms a natural valley with a small area of plains on which Blenheim and the winegrowing area of Marlborough is located.

The valley is bounded to the north and south by 6000ft mountain ranges and also lies in the lee of the Kaikoura Ranges to the south which provide shelter from the southerly winds for which Wellington is well known. The prevailing winds in New Zealand are westerly which blow across the Southern Alps and veer to the north as they cross the main divide through the funneling effect of Cook Strait. This creates the rain shadow which gives Blenheim its high sunshine hours, whilst both mountain ranges on either side of the Wairau Valley form ridges to either the southerlies or the northwesterly winds providing reliable lift. Best season for wave is spring and early summer.

The best soaring condition are northwesterlies when gliders can use the south side ridges for access to the south and west. Wave conditions are also occur commonly in these conditions. The same ridges and mountains provide good thermal conditions once you get away from the sea breezes in the valleys.

Sunshine hours Central New Zealand