Picton (New Zealand)

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Picton is a town in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds. It is the South Island port for the Cook Strait Interisland ferries. It is a pleasant place to spend a few days as it serves as a convenient hub for exploring the beautiful Marlborough Sounds. Nearby activities include sailing, SCUBA diving to the wreck of the Soviet passenger cruise ship Mikhail Lermontov, fishing, biking and hiking.

Contents

Get In

By Boat

Take a ferry from Wellington. Two services are available the Interislander ferry ( www.interislander.com) or Strait shipping (www.bluebridge.com) the journey takes approx. 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

By Bus

There are daily bus services that connect with the ferry sailings.

By Car

Follow State Highway 1 from Blenheim. The state highway leads right up into the ferry terminal.

By Train

The Coastal Pacific service operates daily from and to Christchurch, connecting with the 2 PM ferry sailing.

By Air

SoundsAir operates frequent, daily, scenic flights between Wellington and Picton. As of December 2005 a one-way fare was NZ69, which is very close to the price of the ferry (which takes over 3 hours), making the 25 minute flight an affordable and convenient alternative.

See

  • The Edwin Fox, a sailing ship in the process of being restored.
  • The Marlborough Sounds.

Do

  • Boating
  • Yatching

Get Out

Water taxi services travel around the Marlborough Sounds as many properties have a waterfront access but no road. Tourists can tour the Sounds on these boats. There are a number of lodges and guesthouses in the Sounds.


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