Picton, Marlborough, South Island

The Marlborough Sounds, near Picton, South Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Karen Toh

Picton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand, near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound at the north-east corner of the South Island. Inter-island ferries to and from Wellington arrive and depart here by way of the Marlborough Sounds.

The best way to get to the South Island from Wellington, is by ferry. The journey roughly takes 2 hours, and the route through the Marlborough Sounds is one you shouldn’t miss.

Picton Harbour, South Island, New Zealand.
Photo Image © Karen Toh

If you’ve rented a car in the North Island, the best thing to do is to drop the car off in Wellington, take a ferry, and pick another one up in Picton. This is because most car rental cars are not insured for the ferry ride across.

Kitty  Ambassador  @ Picton, South Island, New Zealand. Photo Image © Karen Toh

Many visitors don’t stay in Picton, but head on to Nelson or Kaikoura on the way to Christchurch. We had planned to break our journey in Picton, and found a nice little B&B to stay at. As we had the time to explore picton, we took a drive up from Picton to the top of the north-east corner. It was a nice drive, with great views of the sounds.

The Marlborough Sounds, near Picton, South Island, New Zealand. 
Photo Image © Karen Toh

The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand.  The Marlborough Sounds are connected to the Cook Strait at the north-east extreme. At this point, the North Island is at its closest to the South Island, and the inter-island road, rail, and passenger ferry service between Picton and Wellington travels through the sounds.