Getting around
Getting around Picton
On foot in town, by water taxi into the Sounds, and a handful of taxi and shuttle companies for everything in between.
Photo: Diego Tirira / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Published
On foot
The centre of Picton is compact. The foreshore, London Quay, High Street, the i-SITE, the railway station, the InterCity stop and the Interislander passenger terminal are a few minutes’ walk apart, and the council’s walking tracks start from the foreshore and the edge of town. Bluebridge’s terminal on Lagoon Road is under a kilometre out, with a free walk-on shuttle from the i-SITE. Short walks around Picton →
Taxis and shuttles
Listed alphabetically. We have not recorded fares; ask when you book.
- Marlborough Shuttles — airport and ferry transfers around Marlborough, per its site. marlboroughshuttles.co.nz
- Marlborough Taxis — Blenheim-based taxi company; its site offers a meet-and-greet service at the Picton ferry terminal and at Blenheim airport. marlboroughtaxis.nz
- Picton Shuttles — local taxi, ferry transfers, Marlborough Airport shuttle and wine-tour transport, per its site. pictonshuttles.nz
- Sounds Connection — tours and transfers, with an office at 1 London Quay. soundsconnection.com
We found no ride-share service confirmed as operating in Picton, so don’t count on one.
Airports
Picton aerodrome (Sounds Air to and from Wellington): Sounds Air runs its own shuttle from town, $25 per person each way on its site when we checked, booked in advance, picking up 50 minutes before departure.
Marlborough Airport near Blenheim: Air New Zealand and Sounds Air. Picton Shuttles says it meets every flight; the airport lists transport options on its taxis and shuttles page.
Rental cars and bikes
Hertz, Europcar, Thrifty and Dollar have kiosks at the Interislander terminals in Picton and Wellington. For bikes, Marlborough Sounds Adventure Company and Wilderness Guides, both on the waterfront at London Quay, offer bike hire along with their kayaking and track services. Mountain biking →
Water taxis
Most of the Marlborough Sounds has no road. Water taxis from the Picton waterfront and Waikawa are how people reach the Queen Charlotte Track, Kaipūpū Sanctuary, the lodges and the bays; some operators also move luggage along the track. Lochmara Lodge runs its own scheduled boat.
Water taxis
Everyday transport in the Sounds — to the track, to the lodges, to bays with no road.
Lochmara Lodge
A lodge, café and wildlife recovery centre in Lochmara Bay, reached by its own water transfer from Picton.
Kaipūpū Sanctuary
A fenced, predator-controlled peninsula ten minutes from the foreshore by water taxi, with a 2.7 km loop track.
Accessibility
At Picton, Interislander foot passengers walk about 400 m, including steps, to board; Interislander will arrange help if you ask when booking, by phone (0800 802 802) or at check-in, and vehicle passengers can ask to park near the lift on board. For other operators, ask them directly.