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 Picton
(Pop 2928) is a town in the Marlborough region of the South Island.
It is near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound in the north-east corner of the
South Island. Queen Charlotte Sound is one of four Sounds that makes up the
Marlborough Sounds.
Many visitors to Marlborough arrive by sea through the glorious maze of deep
coves and bays of Queen Charlotte Sound.
Nestled between the mountains and the sea is Picton, an european settlement of
this area began in the 1840s and many of the early buildings still grace the
waterfront and wide streets of Picton.
Stroll along the boulevard where a cluster of charter operators and water taxis
hold the key to further Sounds exploration.
Picton has no local bus service. The town centre is easily explored on foot.
Waikawa Bay, a suburb of Picton where the majority of the regions private
yachts and power boats are moored is about a 30 minute walk from town
centre.
If you need to get around and don't feel like driving, take a taxi. Queen
Charlotte Sound is best explored by boat.
Shoppers will delight in the open, market-place atmosphere of Picton's
shopping centre with its fine selection of arts, crafts, souvenir, clothing
stores and cafes.
A 45 minute drive from Picton along the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive lies
Havelock. Along the way pass through Linkwater and the access road to Queen
Charlotte Walkway.
Picton is also the terminus for the famous
TranzCoastal train
to and from Christchurch and Kaikoura, the
Interislander and
Bluebridge
ferry services to and from Wellington and a busy hub for various
bus/coach operators providing regular daily bus/coach services
from Picton to Kaikoura, Blenheim, Nelson and Christchurch.
Picton is also serviced by
Soundsair
operating schedule daily flights between Picton and
Wellington.
The nearest airport for domestic flights within New Zealand to Picton is
Blenheim.
There are no passenger train/rail services from Picton to Nelson, Westport,
Punakaiki or Greymouth.
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