Captain James Cook knew a thing or two about paradise. During his three voyages through the Pacific, the great navigator visited Tahiti, Hawaii, Tonga, the Cook Islands and Australia's Great Barrier Reef with its many splendid islands.
And, as a connoisseur of palmy nirvanas, where did the good captain choose to spend most of his time? Answer: Ship Cove, in the Marlborough Sounds, close to the northern end of New Zealand's South Island. In total, Cook spent more than 100 days at Ship Cove on five separate visits which begins to sound like a serious addiction rather than just fondness.
Ship Cove today looks much as it did when Cook visited. There's a pebbly beach that shelves gently into the water, and rising behind it to enclose the cove in its green arms, a tangled forest of tree ferns and rata trees. The freshwater stream from which Cook filled his ship's casks still trickles across the beach. Pleasant enough, but hardly worth a trip from the other end of the world, you might think. But explore the Marlborough Sounds a little more and you'll get the point. Cook knew prime real estate when he saw it.
The Marlborough Sounds is one of the most exhilarating landscapes in all of New Zealand, a series of river valleys that drowned when seas rose at the end of the last Ice Age. What remains is a marine paradise, a filigree of broad waterways separated by forested peninsulas and islands - and a world of wonders for wilderness lovers.
Rising sharply from the water's edge, the Sounds' steep terrain also defies those who would tame it. Despite its 1 400km of coastline, so steep is its shoreline that beaches, roads and houses are few.
The best way to experience the Sounds is from the waterline. Unless you have a boat of your own and a week to spare, the essential journey through the Sounds is the Beachcomber Mail Cruise.
Every day except for Sundays, the mail cruise catamaran departs from Picton, deep inside Queen Charlotte Sound, and makes a half-day journey delivering mail and supplies to houses around this serpentine waterway.
It's a great chance to take a close look at the Sounds, hear some of their stories and meet some of the people who call it home.
Another option is the Greenshell Mussel Cruise out of Havelock, at the head of Pelorus Sound.
This is the greenshell mussel capital of the world. Export earnings from aquaculture in the Sounds are worth more than NZ$200 million (R1-billion), and the fat mussels with their distinctive green-tinged shells account for the bulk of that sum.
Bracing activities and wine to be had
Dave Morgan, skipper of the mussel cruise, is a long-time resident and a mine of information.
The Sounds are dotted with "baches", the holiday shacks that every New Zealander regards almost as a birthright. Until about 10 years ago, you could buy a waterfront bach here for around $30 000 (R163 400). These days, it might set you back anything from NZ$500 000 (R2.7m) to $1m if the location is right - a northerly aspect say, with a small beach at its feet and no other house in sight.
During its voyage around Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds, the vessel passes several mussel farms, stopping at one where Dave scrapes a couple of dozen mussels off the hanging rope. He steams them open and serves with a glass of one of Marlborough's finest Sauvignon Blancs.
Both Picton and Havelock have accommodation in various shades, but a far better option is a couple of nights in one of the lodges that lie scattered around the Sounds. For the escapists who prefer their adventures with a sugar coating, these lodges are ideal. At Double Bay on Kenepuru Sound, close to the end of the road that weaves out from Linkwater, Raetihi Lodge ( Raetihi Lodge) is a perfect base from which to experience the forests and maritime marvels of the region.
Set on a slope that eases itself gently into the lapping water and surrounded by giant tree ferns, the lodge includes a spa pool, a sauna, a masseuse on call, modestly plush rooms with postcard views and a wizard chef at work in the kitchen. The activities list is bracing, and mostly of the DIY variety.
Fish, paddle a kayak, borrow a mountain bike, swim, take a hike into the pristine woodland of nearby Skiddaw Reserve, watch the sunset over cocktails on the deck, or better still a drop of Marlborough's finest - a barefoot paradise awaits for those who make the 30-minute journey via water taxi from Havelock.
In late November, when Queenstown and Rotorua were packed to the rafters with tourists, I was the only one staying the night at the Lodge. The Sounds are also home to one of the finest all-seasons walking trails in all of New Zealand, the Queen Charlotte Track.
Measuring 71km end-to-end, the Queen Charlotte Track winds along the peninsula that separates Queen Charlotte Sound from Kenepuru and Pelorus sounds.
Walkers begin at Ship Cove and thread through native forests along the peninsula. Apart from the sprightly sea views, the singing birds and the beaches, the real beauty about the walk is the lodges.
At the end of every day's march, walkers saunter into a plush lodge, murder a chilled beverage, have a hot shower, sit down to dinner with a well-chilled wine and fall into a comfy bed.
Better still, gear is transported via water taxi from one lodge to the next, leaving you free to walk with nothing more than a water bottle, a packed lunch and a smile.
Despite its maritime glories, the name "Marlborough" is more usually associated with wines.
Located to the south-west of the Marlborough Sounds, the Marlborough vineyards are spread across a big area, but the heart of the region is the Wairau Plains, the flat, funnel-shaped area enclosed by the soaring hills of the Richmond Range to the north, the Wither Hills to the south and Cloudy Bay to the east. This is also one of the sunniest parts of the country, characterised by bright, dry and mild summer days and cool nights - key factors behind the long, slow ripening period, the vibrant fruit and crisp, herbaceous character of Marlborough wines.
Marlborough's success has hinged on Sauvignon Blanc.
This variety alone accounts for almost two-thirds of all the region's production, and the fame of Marl-borough Sauvignon Blanc is underlined by exports to the UK, North America and Australia. But perception of Marlborough as a one-hit wine region has taken a hiding over the past few years.
For confirmation, you only have to taste Hans Herzog's 2004 Pinot Noir, an intense, earthy wine resonating with dark cherry and smoky notes with an underlying backbone of spice. Descended from a long line of Swiss winemakers, Hans brings the proud traditions of European winemaking to his13-hectare vineyard. Every aspect of Herzog's winemaking is tightly controlled to produce a small number of bottles of the absolute highest quality. Hans purposely "strangles" his vines, irrigating only when absolutely necessary and pruning to restrict the yield.
Unlike every other vineyard nearby, Hans produces no Sauvignon Blanc. Organic principles are used throughout the vineyard, grapes are hand-harvested and preservatives kept to a minimum.
He's scathing of growers who enrich the soil with chemical fertilisers to produce maximum fruit, and who irrigate heavily immediately before vintage in order to add weight to their grapes. "More tonnage equals more money, but it doesn't make better wine," he says.
To watch Hans wrapping a bottle of wine - rolling it in tissue paper and sealing it with a sticker that bears the double "H" of his name - is a promise of a sublime experience when that bottle is uncorked.
Just as her husband is totally dedicated to fine wines, Therese Herzog is passionate about food. In Switzerland she operated a Michelin-star restaurant, and her formidable skills underpin the Herzog Restaurant head and shoulders above every other dining experience in the region.
Poise and restraint are the keynotes in the winery's handsome dining room, which takes its décor as well as its food from the classic dining traditions of Europe.
The five-course degustation menu is highly recommended, but there's also a lighter lunchtime option in the bistro, a sunny weather delight when tables are set beneath the verandah.
Tempted to stay the night? Along a lane at one side of the winery, shaded by a giant eucalypt, Vineyard Cottage is small, rustic and private. Raw timber on the outside, white on the inside, the cottage is the very essence of country charm, crammed with antique furnishings, paintings, books and all you need for a modestly decadent retreat - right down to the full complement of teas and the quality espresso machine.
At this stage of your Marlborough journey - having experienced the wonderland of the Sounds, hiked in its native forests, perhaps even having splashed about in a sea kayak with dolphins close by - you might raise a glass and toast Captain Cook in appreciation for the Yorkshireman's discerning eye.
It's no wonder this is a part of New Zealand that New Zealanders prefer to keep to themselves!