Picton (New Zealand)



Picton is a small but important town in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is a major hub in New Zealand's transport network, linking the South Island road and rail network with ferries that cross Cook Strait to and from Wellington in the North Island. For many travellers, it's the gateway to the Marlborough and Nelson Bays regions. It serves as a base for exploring the Marlborough Sounds, with nearby activities that include sailing, SCUBA diving to the wreck of the Soviet passenger cruise ship Mikhail Lermontov, fishing, biking and hiking.

Understand
In 1962, the New Zealand Railways' chose Picton as the South Island terminal for its new Cook Strait road and rail ferry service, now known as the Interislander. Ferry GMV Aramoana provided the first roll-on-roll-off ferry service between two islands, dramatically cutting travel times and proving extremely popular. By 1976, Aramoana has been joined on the route by three other ferries and together they had effectively wiped out their maritime inter-island competitors, including the long-standing 'Steamer Express' overnight ferry between Wellington and Lyttelton. Today, five ferries operated by both Interislander and Bluebridge ply the Wellington to Picton route.



By boat


Passenger and vehicle ferries sail several times daily from Wellington to Picton, taking about 3½ hours.

Cruise ships call at Picton during the summer season (October to April), ranging from small boutique ships to mega-ships such as regular visitor Ovation of the Seas (347 m long and 4,500 passengers). Cruise ships up to 245 m long berth at Waitohi Wharf alongside the Cook Strait ferries, while larger cruise ships berth at Waimahara Wharf on adjacent Shakespeare Bay and passengers are shuttled from the wharf to the i-Site Information centre in central Picton. One reason that cruise ships visit Picton is the very picturesque voyage in/out through the Queen Charlotte Sound. Make sure you get a good viewing position.

By plane

 * Sounds Air operates frequent flights between Wellington and Picton from Picton Airport, 5 minutes south from Picton off SH1. A one-way fare is around $99, making the 25-minute flight a time-saving alternative to the ferry.  Booking on-line is the cheapest choice. Sounds Air will pick you up from Picton by arrangement. Sounds Air also fly direct to Nelson for not much extra, if you aren't inspired to visit Picton.

By train




By bus
There are bus and shuttle services that connect with the ferry sailings travelling to Christchurch via Kaikoura, Nelson via Havelock and one shuttle to Fox Glacier via Murchison and Greymouth. All services travel via Blenheim.


 * Intercity Coach
 * Nelson Lakes Shuttles specialise in providing transport for trampers, hikers, climbers, mountain bikers and skiers. They run on demand and scheduled services to St Arnaud, Nelson Lakes National Park, Kahurangi National Park, the Richmond Ranges as well as other tramping destinations further afield.

By car
State Highway 1 connects Picton with Blenheim (28 km; 23 minutes) and from there the rest of the South Island.

Coming from Nelson there is the option of taking Queen Charlotte Drive, which leaves State Highway 6 at Havelock and snakes along the Marlborough Sounds to Picton. Queen Charlotte Drive, despite being far shorter by distance, does not save any driving time but does provide magnificent views and the sound of birdsong as you slowly negotiate its myriad hairpin bends. Allow additional time for photography.

Almost all rental car companies will have an office in Picton so you do not need to take rental cars on the ferry. A number of rental car companies are clustered around the Ferry Terminal. Sometimes they will offer deals relocating cars (usually) to Christchurch.

On-street parking in central Picton is free but limited to 60 minutes. All-day off-street parking is available for $5 in signposted carparks off High St and Wellington St.

Get around
Picton has no local bus service. The "one-horse" town centre is easily explored on foot. If you need to get around and don't feel like driving, take a taxi.

By boat
Queen Charlotte Sound is largely inaccessible by road, and many parts rely on boat transport. Water taxis depart from the, on London Quay at the top end of Wellington St.



See

 * Marlborough Sounds.
 * Memorial Park and the waterfront.
 * Marlborough Sounds.
 * Memorial Park and the waterfront.

Marine cruises
There are a variety of cruises, including wildlife tours, scenic cruises, fishing and transport to and from tramping tracks. Most excursions depart from the Picton Town Wharf, on London Quay at the top end of Wellington St.



Buy
Precious minerals may be worth looking into, such as the lustrous greenstone from the wild, boulder-strewn rivers of the area. The area also favors a concentration of craftspeople, especially glass blowers, potters, weavers and wood carvers, who have been attracted by the high quality of raw materials.



Stay safe
Picton, like all small towns in New Zealand, has a volunteer fire brigade, with firefighters called out by a siren atop the station in High Street. The siren is tested every Monday night (excluding public holidays) at 19:00.

Go next

 * Blenheim – the largest town in Marlborough and centre of the Marlborough wine region, famous for its Sauvignon Blanc
 * Havelock – also in the Marlborough Sounds, and the green-shell mussel capital of the world
 * Nelson Bays – the sunshine city of Nelson with its art galleries, theatres, fine restaurants, neo-gothic Christ Church cathedral, beaches and popular national parks