Beaches

Beaches and bays around Picton

Picton's "beaches" are small bays reached on foot or along Queen Charlotte Drive, not surf beaches. We list what the council and DOC say about each; none of those sources comment on swimming, so neither do we.

Photo: DXR / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Time you have

Looking for

Getting there

Whatamango Bay

A DOC campsite bay 10 km east of Picton on Port Underwood Road — about 15 minutes from the ferry.

1 hrs – half a dayDrive

Momorangi Bay

A fully serviced DOC campsite on Queen Charlotte Drive, 25 minutes from Picton, with a playground on the reserve.

1 hrs – half a dayDriveKids

A calm bush-fringed bay with a beach at Ngakuta, Marlborough Sounds

Ngakuta Bay

A calm, bush-fringed bay with a beach on Queen Charlotte Drive, on the Link Pathway.

30 min – half a dayDriveFree

A yacht moored on calm water in Picton Harbour

Shelly Beach

The small beach ten minutes' walk from the foreshore, at the edge of Victoria Domain.

20 min – 1.5 hrsWalk from townFree

A small bush-fringed bay reached by a walking track near Picton

Bob's Bay

A bush-fringed bay you can only walk to — half an hour from Shelly Beach.

1.5–2.5 hrsWalk from townFree

Yachts and launches moored at Waikawa Marina

Waikawa Bay

The next bay north of Picton, home to Waikawa Marina and the Te Ātiawa community that moved here in 1850.

1 hrs – half a dayWalk from townFree

Common questions

Which beach is closest to the ferry terminal?

Shelly Beach — 422 m and about 10 minutes on foot from the foreshore over the Coathanger Bridge, on a path the council grades Easy.

Can you swim at Picton's beaches?

No council or DOC source we found states swimming suitability for any of these bays, so we do not make a claim either way.

Plan by the time you have

Every place on this site carries a realistic time band. Pick the gap you need to fill.

2 hoursForeshore, Shelly Beach, a museum Half a dayThe Snout, or a cruise One dayWater in the morning, headland after A weekendTown, track, wine