PictonNZWaitohi · Marlborough Sounds
Kaipūpū's bush-covered peninsula across Picton Harbour, with ferry berths at left and Queen Charlotte Sound beyond.

Wildlife

Kaipūpū Sanctuary

A fenced, predator-controlled peninsula ten minutes from the foreshore by water taxi, with a 2.7 km loop track.

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

The closest wildlife sanctuary to town: a fenced and actively trapped peninsula in Shakespeare Bay, a 10–15 minute water taxi from Picton, with a loop walk of about 1.5–2 hours.

  • Wildlife
  • Native bush
  • On the water
Show on the Picton map Open in OpenStreetMap Directions

At a glance

Distance
About 10 minutes by boat from Picton (the sanctuary's own figure)
Cost
Free to visit (donations welcome, per the sanctuary); you pay for the water taxi
Getting there
Water taxi only
Track
2.7 km loop, about 1.5–2 hours
The wooded western side of Kaipūpū Sanctuary across Shakespeare Bay, with moored yachts and port logs in front.
The wooded western side of Kaipūpū Sanctuary across Shakespeare Bay, with moored yachts and port logs in front. Krzysztof Golik / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

About Kaipūpū Sanctuary

Kaipūpū is the peninsula on the far side of Shakespeare Bay, directly across the water from the ferry terminals. It is fenced and trapped as a community-run sanctuary, with a 2.7 km loop track through regenerating bush that takes around an hour and a half to two hours. Because it is so close — a ten-to-fifteen-minute water taxi — it is the most practical way to get a sanctuary experience into a half day in Picton.

Know before you go

  • Boat access only; arrange the water taxi and the pick-up time before you go.

Photographs

Kaipūpū's forested southern slope behind the Interislander ferry Aratere at Picton's terminal.
Kaipūpū's forested southern slope behind the Interislander ferry Aratere at Picton's terminal. Mattinbgn / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
A New Zealand bellbird perched among green leaves
A bellbird / korimako on Motuara Island. Tom Ackroyd / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A New Zealand fantail with its tail fanned, perched on a twig
A pīwakawaka / fantail, the small bird that follows walkers along bush tracks. Bernard Spragg. NZ / Wikimedia Commons, CC0
A tūī, a dark iridescent honeyeater with a white throat tuft
A tūī — a nectar feeder you are more likely to hear than see. Bernard Spragg. NZ / Wikimedia Commons, CC0

Official information

Sources for this page

Location: OpenStreetMap contributors via Nominatim (Kaipūpū Point; feature).

Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed on 29 September 2026.

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us.

Nearby

Straight-line distances from Kaipūpū Point.

Geotagged harbour view toward Picton showing the wooded cliff-edge route corridor and Shelly Beach end.

Lower Bob's Bay Track

Half an hour along the cliffs from Shelly Beach to a bush-fringed bay.

1–1.5 hrsModerateFree0.7 km away
A small bush-fringed bay reached by a walking track near Picton

Upper Bob's Bay Track

The high route into Bob's Bay from Victoria Domain Loop Road.

1–1.5 hrsModerateFree0.7 km away
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 townFree0.7 km away
View over the Grove Arm from a bend on Queen Charlotte Drive

The Link Pathway

A 42 km walk-or-bike pathway from Picton to Havelock through the inner Sounds — or just its easy first section.

40 min – half a dayEasyFree1 km away

Related

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
A Picton Water Taxis launch underway on Queen Charlotte Sound, with the operator name visible on the cabin.

Water taxis

Everyday transport in the Sounds — to the track, to the lodges, to bays with no road.

15 min – 2 hrsWalk from town
View from the side of the boat Delphinus while cruising on calm Queen Charlotte Sound.

Scenic and wildlife cruises

Out into Queen Charlotte Sound by boat — the mail run, Motuara Island, dolphins and seals.

1.5 hrs – a dayWalk from townKids