The small town of Picton is where car and passenger ferries arrive and depart for Wellington in the North Island, most people pass through Picton after crossing Cook Strait on the Interisland ferry, but there are some beautiful places to visit if one takes the time. Even a short scenic drive or walk to a lookout point over Queen Charlotte Sound is rewarding.
The town itself has several historic attractions as well as good accommodation at all levels, and there is a Marina in adjacent Waikawa Bay. If the weather fails you there is a nice cinema.
From here you can explore the Sounds, ideally on a boat - there are several water transport companies located at the Town Wharf. Picton gives access to the spectacular 67 km Queen Charlotte Track linking historic Ship Cove and Anakiwa. It is easy to make a short walk of part of the track, using a water taxi to drop you off or collect you.
Road or water can take you to various parts of the Sounds. Once you turn off main routes, it’s not long before you are travelling on a slow, winding, gravel road. But you are rewarded with magnificent views of the Sounds’ peninsulas and islands, created at the end of the last ice age when the sea level rose and flooded river valleys. The Department of Conservation manages over 50 reserves in the Marlborough Sounds, protecting the land for its ‘natural values, scenic beauty and historic interest’. Land and sea offer countless opportunities for recreation: you can walk, swim, sail, kayak, boat, fish, dive, camp or just relax in the sun.
On the road inland to Blenheim there is a small airport about 8 km from Picton.
Picton is also the terminus for the Tranzcoastal train to Chrischurch. (This is not currently running because of major track disruptions caused by the Kaikoura earthquake.)
FULL DAY GOURMET SCENIC DELIGHT TOUR
****Picton 1872 by John Kinder
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