PictonNZWaitohi · Marlborough Sounds
A small playground with swings and a slide on grass at Momorangi Bay

Short walks, boats, birds and a ship

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.

Photo: David Palmer / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Published · Updated

  • Families off the ferry
  • Families staying a few days

We only list things here where a source supports the claim of suitability — the council's Easy grade, a playground in the photographs, a museum. We do not know age ranges or prices for anything, and we say so rather than guess.

The plan

  1. Easy

    Foreshore to Shelly Beach

    Ten minutes on an Easy-graded path over the Coathanger Bridge to a beach with toilets. The foreshore reserve itself is lawn and palms between the cafes and the water.

    Picton's Coathanger pedestrian bridge crossing the marina inlet, a central part of the walk to Shelly Beach.

    Foreshore to Shelly Beach

    Ten minutes from the waterfront, over the Coathanger Bridge, to a small beach.

    10–25 minEasyFree
  2. Easy

    Picton to Waikawa

    The council's only Easy-graded longer track: 3.5 km via Endeavour Park. Shared with bikes.

    Yachts and launches moored at Waikawa Marina

    Picton to Waikawa Track

    The easy, dog-friendly walk between Picton and the next bay.

    45 min – 1.5 hrsEasyFree
  3. Indoors

    The Edwin Fox and the Heritage Museum

    An 1853 ship in dry dock under cover (closed to boarding for now), and harpoons and shipwreck salvage a few minutes away.

    Wide view of the museum entrance, exhibition building and adjoining dry-dock shelter.

    Edwin Fox Maritime Museum

    An 1853 teak sailing ship in dry dock on the waterfront — one of the oldest surviving merchant hulls anywhere.

    45 min – 2 hrsWalk from townKids
  4. On the water

    Motuara Island

    Robins that come to your feet, a short track to a lookout tower. Cruises call there from the foreshore.

    Wooden summit lookout steps above Motuara's native bush, with Queen Charlotte Sound beyond.

    Motuara Island

    A predator-free bird sanctuary in the outer sound — saddleback, robin and kākāriki — with a lookout tower on its 128 m summit.

    Half a day – a dayBy boatKids
  5. With a car

    Momorangi Bay

    The reserve at the DOC campsite has a small playground; 25 minutes along Queen Charlotte Drive.

    Momorangi Bay Camp entrance, grassy sites, beachfront, boats and the forested bay beyond.

    Momorangi Bay

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

    1 hr – half a dayDriveKids
  6. Wet

Worth knowing

  • The Lower Bob's Bay cliff track has steep bluffs beside it — the council says supervise children.
  • Dogs are not permitted on the foreshore, in case you are travelling with one.

Track distances and times: Marlborough District Council's Picton by Foot or Bike brochure and track pages; Queen Charlotte Track figures from DOC. Ferry check-in guidance from the operators' own sites; museum hours from the museums' own sites (checked 29 September 2026) — confirm before travelling. Full list on the sources page.