Marlborough Travel Guide: Tips For a Fun Trip to Marlborough

Last Updated on March 4, 2024 by Jon Algie

Our Marlborough Travel Guide will give you a good overview of the region. If you’re looking for posts about a particular area click on one of these links: Picton | Marlborough Sounds | Blenheim

The top of the South Island’s eastern half mostly consists of a series of flooded valleys known as the Marlborough Sounds. A haven for hikers, cyclists and people looking for relaxing boat rides, it’s yet another unique spot on an island full of unique places. Throw in a famous wine region and one of New Zealand’s most picturesque towns and you have a region worth exploring!

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Marlborough Travel Guide: Towns and Regions

This Marlborough travel guide will show you the best of the sounds as well as the rest of Marlborough (which is mostly Blenheim and the upper east coast). It’s a small region compared to the others but as always there’s lots to explore.

Blenheim

Blenheim is a big as far as towns go — around 30,000 people live surrounded by the vines that make this area famous. Wine is a massive reason to spend time in Blenheim, with numerous vineyards, cellar doors and restaurants within easy reach.

For those of us with little interest in wine there isn’t much to convince you to stay there over Picton — it’s a nice enough town, but Picton is much more than that!

Northern East Coast

The scenic route between Blenheim and Picton takes you up to the northeastern tip of the South Island — definitely a road less travelled! It takes around 90 minutes vs the 20-minute trip via the main road — if you’ve got time to kill I highly recommend it!

Whites Bay, Blenheim, New Zealand

Picton

Picton, where the ferries between the North and South Islands arrive and depart, is the first stop in Marlborough for many. Before stopping at Picton you’ll drift through Queen Charlotte Sound — a very scenic entry to the South Island.

The town itself is nestled around its picturesque harbour and marina. There are some great short walks (Snout Track / Tirohanga Track especially) as well as a compact town centre full of places to eat and shop. Picton is one of our favourite towns in New Zealand to chill for a day or two and do some wandering.

READ MORE: 12 of the Best Things to Do in Picton

Marlborough Sounds

All sorts of boats leave Picton heading for the quiet bays and coves of the Marlborough Sounds. Day cruises are a good option, but if you’ve got a night or two to spare you could consider staying at one of the lodges.

Most of these are now cut off from the rest of the island due to storm damage a couple of years ago. These days you’ll need to catch a boat or walk via the Queen Charlotte Track, which ramps up the “island” feel of these secluded spots. We stayed at Lochmara Lodge for a couple of nights and loved how relaxing it was. There’s plenty to keep you busy but you’d also be forgiven for just hanging out at the lodge eating, drinking and enjoying the views.

READ MORE: A Trip to Lochmara Lodge

If you’d rather stay on dry land you can easily explore the Marlborough Sounds by car. Drive out to French Pass — a long, winding gravel road — and you’ll see the sounds spreading out before you – some of the best coastal scenery in the country!

Queen Charlotte Track

For many visitors to Marlborough the Queen Charlotte Track is the main draw. It takes 4-7 days to hike and you can do it in relative luxury by staying in lodges and getting your bag sent via boat so you don’t have to carry it. That’s Punga Cove Resort pictured below — we went there when you could still drive but now you have to either walk or catch a boat.

We’ve only done short sections of the Queen Charlotte Track so far. You can organise a day walk in Picton or stay at one of the lodges and do some of the track from there. That’s what we did at Lochmara Lodge — I did a three hour walk up to one of the most famous viewpoints (Onahau Lookout) on the track — a fun walk but a shame about the rain!

Havelock / Queen Charlotte Drive

The road between Picton / Blenheim and Nelson takes plenty of views of the Marlborough Sounds. The best bit is between Picton and Havelock, known as Queen Charlotte Drive. It’s full of viewpoints with a few bays to drive / walk down to, including Governors Bay (our favourite beach in Marlborough).

Just before Havelock you’ll come to Cullen Point Lookout — walk up the forest track for 5-10 minutes and you’ll get some stunning views over the sounds. Havelock is a tiny town famous for green lipped mussels (and for being the birthplace of Earnest Rutherford, New Zealand’s most famous scientist). There are a few places to stay and you can organise boat trips to the Marlborough Sounds from there too.

The Road to Nelson

After Havelock, the views dry up as you head inland towards Nelson. There are turnoffs to the sounds (the road to French Pass being the best for tourists), with the other main point of interest the Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve. You can walk by the clear river, see some small waterfalls and also glowworms if you go at night.

READ MORE: Driving From Nelson to Picton: Best Places to Stop

Getting Around

You could easily hang out in Picton for a few days without a car. The walks are close to town and you’ve always got the option of hopping on a boat and exploring the sounds. Blenheim too — you can do wine tours that’ll take you around the vineyards – I’m guessing it’s more fun when you don’t have to drive!

Where to Stay

Picton is your best bet when looking for hotels in Marlborough. There’s accommodation to suit all budgets and some have great views of the harbour. We stayed at Beachcomber Inn recently and thought it was really good value – great scenery just outside too. Blenheim is full of motels and there are a few places to stay in Havelock. Otherwise you’re looking at lodges in the sounds or camping grounds — there are several options and they’re in some beautiful locations.

Marlborough Itinerary

If you’ve got four nights in Marlborough I’d do something like this: Spend the first night in Picton before staying at a lodge in the sounds on the second (and maybe third) night. The fourth could be back in Picton or maybe Havelock or a camping ground. From Havelock you’re only two hours from Nelson, or if you’re heading south Kaikoura is pretty close.

With more than four nights you could do some of the Queen Charlotte Track, spend more time in Picton, explore the French Pass area more or spend a couple of nights in Blenheim. That brings us to the end of our Marlborough Travel Guide! If you have any questions or need anything clarified give us an email or leave a comment!

Are you planning a trip to New Zealand? Check out our South Island itinerary!

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.

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