PictonNZWaitohi · Marlborough Sounds
Picton's foreshore reserve and marina seen through the war memorial archway

Practical

Getting around, and the useful things

Picton is small enough to cover on foot. The wider Sounds are reached by water. Everything below is a verified fact or a link to the live source; where we could not confirm something, it says so.

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

Published · Updated

Picton is a small, low-rise township built around its harbour. The foreshore does a lot of the work: shops, cafes, the marina, the i-SITE and both ferry terminals sit within a few minutes of each other, and walking and cycling tracks head straight from the foreshore into the bush-covered hills behind. Both terminals are an easy walk from the centre, which is unusual among ferry ports.

Getting here and around

Ferries, train, coaches, driving, parking, taxis and water taxis each have their own page in Getting here & around. The short version:

  • Ferries: Interislander (foot passengers on Auckland Street, vehicles on Lagoon Road) and Bluebridge (1 Lagoon Road, free walk-on shuttle from the i-SITE).
  • Coach: InterCity stops at the Interislander terminal, the Crow Tavern and the information centre; the council’s Route 3 bus runs to Blenheim on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
  • Train: the Coastal Pacific, seasonal, from the station on Auckland Street.
  • Parking: one-hour free on most town-centre streets; all-day and long-term in the Dublin Street and Coathanger car parks; no overnight stays in public car parks. Parking →
  • Taxis, shuttles, bikes, water taxis: Getting around →

Public toilets we can confirm

  • Shelly Beach (Marlborough District Council)
  • Bob’s Bay — open 24 hours (council)
  • On the Snout walkway in Victoria Domain (council)
  • Anakiwa, at the Queen Charlotte Track car park (DOC)
  • DOC campsites at Whatamango Bay and Momorangi Bay
  • The Bluebridge ferry terminal, 1 Lagoon Road, with baby change (Bluebridge)

There are very likely more, on the foreshore and at the Interislander terminal, but we have not found a council or operator page stating so, so they are not on the list.

Supermarket, pharmacy, visitor centre

  • Supermarket: a Four Square on High Street (location from OpenStreetMap; hours not recorded here).
  • Pharmacies: Picton Healthcare Pharmacy, 6 High Street, and Picton Medical Centre Pharmacy on Broadway (locations from OpenStreetMap).
  • Picton i-SITE: on the foreshore, phone 03 520 3113 — maps, current local information, and the Bluebridge shuttle pick-up. About →
  • Library: Picton Library and Service Centre, 2 Dublin Street. About →
  • Petrol: Interislander’s directions name the NPD Picton Fuelstop on Lagoon Road, just before its vehicle check-in. Other stations and hours not confirmed.
  • ATMs: not confirmed from any source we would cite — ask at the i-SITE.

Distances and connections

Blenheim is 30 minutes by InterCity coach, Nelson and Kaikōura about 2 h 10 min, Christchurch 5 h 15 min; Wellington is about 3.5 hours by ferry. Road distances, driving times, the inland alternate route to Christchurch and where to check road conditions are on Driving to Picton.

By bike

The Queen Charlotte Track is an official Ngā Haerenga Great Ride; Victoria Domain has a graded mountain-bike network a few minutes from town; and the Link Pathway is the off-road walk-and-cycle route toward Havelock. Hire is on the waterfront. Mountain biking →

Sources: Marlborough District Council (parking, buses, Victoria Domain, Bob’s Bay, Lower Bob’s Bay track, visitor centres); InterCity; Great Journeys New Zealand; DOC (Anakiwa, campsites, track access); Waka Kotahi (alternate route); OpenStreetMap contributors (shop and pharmacy locations). Full list on the sources page.