Itineraries
What fits in the time you have
Every plan below uses the council's and DOC's own track times and starts on foot from the foreshore unless it says otherwise. Nothing is padded to fill the page.
Photo: Krzysztof Golik / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
By how long you have
Two hours in Picton
Enough time for the foreshore, the shortest walk in town and one of the museums — all on foot from the terminal.
A 3-hour ferry wait in Picton
Take off the check-in time and three hours is about two hours free: the foreshore, Shelly Beach and a museum, never more than a few minutes from the terminal.
Half a day in Picton
Time for the Snout Track to the Queen Charlotte View lookout, or a cruise on the sound, plus lunch.
A 6-hour ferry wait in Picton
About five hours free after check-in: enough for the Snout Track, a boat to Kaipūpū Sanctuary, or a scheduled cruise — pick one, plus lunch.
One day in Picton
Morning on the water, afternoon on the headland, evening on the waterfront.
Two days in Picton
Day one on the town and the headland tracks; day two out on Queen Charlotte Sound, to an island sanctuary or a section of the Queen Charlotte Track.
A weekend in Picton
Town and headland on day one, a section of the Queen Charlotte Track by water taxi on day two, wine or the scenic drive on day three.
By situation
Before your ferry
Matched to the gap: one hour, two, three, or half a day — and all on foot from the terminals.
Just off the ferry
Where you are, where the town is, where the coach and the train are, and the first thing to do.
Picton for cruise-ship visitors
Which wharf you are at decides the day. From Waitohi Wharf the town is on foot; from Waimahara Wharf in Shakespeare Bay it is a shuttle ride. Then: the foreshore, the museums, a headland walk, or a wine tour.
Picton without a car
Most of what makes Picton worth visiting is reachable without a vehicle: the town, the tracks, the water and the coach and train connections all start at the foreshore.
Picton with kids
The easy end of the track network, the two museums, a boat with robins at the end of it, and a playground on the way to Anakiwa.
A rainy day in Picton
Two museums, the library, the cafes, a wine tour in a van, and the train — nothing here needs the weather.