Moderate walk
Lower Bob's Bay Track
Half an hour along the cliffs from Shelly Beach to a bush-fringed bay.
Photo: Diego Tirira / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
From Shelly Beach, an undulating cliff-edge track to Bob's Bay — about 1–1.4 km and 30 minutes one way. Moderate, with steep bluffs beside the track; toilets at both ends.
The track at a glance
- Distance
- 1,428 m one way (council brochure); the council's track page rounds it to about 1 km
- Time
- 30 min one way
- Grade
- Moderate (Marlborough District Council); described as suitable for most abilities
- Route
- Out and back; can be combined with the Upper Bob's Bay Track for a loop via Victoria Domain
- Starts
- Shelly Beach, itself a 10-minute walk from the foreshore over the Coathanger Bridge
- Terrain
- Undulating, with some short, moderately steep sections; surface can be wet and muddy in winter
- Dogs
- On a leash (Bob's Bay Reserve rule)
- Bikes
- Not suitable for mountain bikes, wheelchairs or mobility scooters
- Toilets
- At Shelly Beach and at Bob's Bay (open 24 hours)
- Cost
- Free
About Lower Bob's Bay Track
The council calls this the Cliff Walking Track, and that is the honest description: it runs along the bluffs between Shelly Beach and Bob's Bay with the harbour below you, undulating with a few short steep pitches. Children need supervising near the edges.
Bob's Bay itself is a small bay backed by bush with a 24-hour public toilet. There are two ways in — this lower track from Shelly Beach, or the Upper Bob's Bay Track down from Victoria Domain Loop Road — so a loop is possible if you are happy with the climb.
Note on distances: the council's brochure measures the track at 1,428 m, while its web page says “approximately 1 km”. Both are council figures; the brochure is the measured one. An older figure of 3.5 km that circulates online is wrong.
Know before you go
- Steep bluffs beside the track — supervise children.
- Not for bikes, wheelchairs or mobility scooters.
- Muddy in winter.
Sources for this page
- Marlborough District Council — Lower Bobs Bay Track
- Marlborough District Council — Bob's Bay Reserve
- Marlborough District Council — Picton by Foot or Bike brochure (PDF)
Location: OpenStreetMap contributors via Nominatim (Bob's Bay; feature).
Facts on this page were checked against the sources listed on 5 Sep 2026.
Nearby
Straight-line distances from Bob's Bay.
Upper Bob's Bay Track
The high route into Bob's Bay from Victoria Domain Loop Road.
Bob's Bay
A bush-fringed bay you can only walk to — half an hour from Shelly Beach.
Kaipūpū Sanctuary
A fenced, predator-controlled peninsula ten minutes from the foreshore by water taxi, with a 2.7 km loop track.
Victoria Domain
200 hectares of bush between Picton and Waikawa, with over 20 km of walking and mountain-bike tracks.
