This wine-producing region is known for its excellent sauvignon blancs, particularly the famed Cloudy Bay and the popular Montana wines. Although some travellers stay in the region to pick up fruit picking work, most of those who decide to linger in Marlborough usually stay on to explore the breathtaking Marlborough Sounds and many backpackers hike the Queen Charlotte Track.

Picton

As the southern terminus for the Cook Strait ferries, this pretty little town is most people's first impression of the South Island. Although most people come here to make transport connections, Picton is also the launching pad for exploring the Marlborough Sounds with many hiking trails starting nearby including the popular Queen Charlotte Track.

Practical Information

Visitor Information Centre

The Foreshore, Picton

Tel (03) 520 3113

Website www.destinationmarlborough.com

Open Jan-Apr 8.30am-5pm daily; May-Sep Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4.30pm

Coming & Going

Picton has excellent transport connections for a small town.

AIR

Flights from Wellington are competitively priced often working out cheaper than the ferry. Sounds Air (tel 0800 505 005; website www.soundsair.co.nz) flies from the small Koromiko airfield 9km outside town and operate their own shuttle bus to and from Picton. Air New Zealand (tel 0800 737 000; website www.airnz.co.nz) and Origin Pacific (tel 0800 302 302; website www.originpacific.co.nz) both fly from the busier Blenheim Airport, about half an hour south of Picton.

BUS

There are frequent bus connections with InterCity. Atomic Shuttles and many smaller bus operators serve Picton with services to Christchurch, Nelson and elsewhere in the South Island.

TRAIN

Picton is the northern terminus for the South Island's rail network. The train station is on Auckland Street only 200 metres from the ferry terminal.

FERRY

The ferry terminal handles Blue Bridge, InterIslander, and Lynx ferries to Wellington. Most rental car agencies have their offices outside the ferry terminal and along nearby Auckland Street.

There are also smaller ferries (water taxis) that connect Picton with various spots in the Marlborough Sounds. Many backpackers use these to get to the Queen Charlotte Track and some of the more remote hostels in the Sounds.

Accommodation

Atlantis Hostel

London Quay, Picton

Tel (03) 573 7390

Bayview Backpackers

318 Waikawa Road, Picton

Tel (03) 573 7668

Picton Lodge

9 Auckland Street, Picton

Tel (03) 573 7788

Sequoia Lodge

3a Nelson Square, Picton

Tel (03) 573 8399

The Juggler's Rest

8 Canterbury Street, Picton

Tel (03) 573 5570

The Villa

34 Auckland Street, Picton

Tel (03) 573 6598

Tombstone Backpackers

16 Gravesend Place, Picton

Tel (03)573 7116

Wedgewood House YHA

10 Dublin Street, Picton

Tel (03) 573 7797

Sights

Edwin Fox Maritime Centre

The Edwin Fox is the world's ninth oldest ship and is the focal point of this small maritime museum near Picton's ferry terminal. This ship was built in Calcutta in 1853 and is the only surviving wooden ship to carry immigrants to New Zealand and convicts to Australia. It is also the oldest surviving troopship from the Crimean War.

Foreshore, Picton

Tel (03) 573 6868

Admission $6

Open 9am-5pm daily

Havelock

This small town between Picton and Nelson is a good base for exploring the Marlborough Sounds and many people stay here to hike the Nydia Track.

Apart from hiking, Havelock is famous for two things – its mussels and Ernest Rutherford. The Noble prize winning scientist grew up in Havelock and went to school in the building that is now the YHA hostel. He is best known for splitting the atom and his other achievements include the discovery of radon and work that has led to the invention of the smoke detector and Geiger counter.

Practical Information

Department of Conservation

The local DOC office is inside the Rutherford Lodge YHA.

46 Main Road, Havelock

Tel (03) 574 2104

Website www.rutherfordtravel.co.nz

Open 8am-10pm

Accommodation

Blue Moon

48 Main Road, Havelock

Tel (03) 574 2212

Rutherford Lodge YHA

46 Main Road, Havelock

Tel (03) 574 2104

Marlborough Sounds

You'll notice the Marlborough Sounds' myriad coves and inlets if you arrive in Picton by ferry (or by plane on a clear day); many of which harbour small resorts and backpackers' hostels.

The best way to explore the Marlborough Sounds is to take a local ferry or water taxi to some of the remote backpackers resorts or to hike the Queen Charlotte Track.

Local Transport

Various hostels in Picton can arrange boat transport to Ship Cove with a pick up from Anakiwa for hikers walking the Queen Charlotte Track. Packs can be carried between accommodation spots by boat operators; this means that you only need to walk with a daypack, making the trek a little easier.

Cougar Line (tel (03) 573 7925; website www.queencharlottetrack.co.nz) and Endeavour Express (tel (03) 573 5456; website www.boatrides.co.nz) are two of the main transport operators. They both combine the ferry trip from Picton to Ship Cover with pack transfer to jetties along the track and pick up from Anakiwa. They cost between $60 and $65 for the return trip including pack transfer.

It is also possible to use the boat connections to complete a chosen section of the track, but this usually costs more than the full return trip.

Accommodation

In addition to several campsites in the region, including seven on the Queen Charlotte Track, there are a number of excellent hostels, many of which are within easy access to the Track. The following hostels are listed geographically from south to north. All of them, with the exception of Hopewell, are within walking distance from the Queen Charlotte Track. There are no DOC huts on the Queen Charlotte Track.

Anakiwa Backpackers

401 Anakiwa Road, Anakiwa

Tel (03) 574 1388

De Bretts

Portage Bay, Kenepuru Sound

Tel (03) 573 4522

Hopewell

Hopewell, Double Bay, Kenepuru Sound

Tel (03) 573 4341

Lochmara Lodge

Lochmara Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound

Tel (03) 573 4554

Mahana Homestead Lodge

Endeavour Inlet, Marlborough Sounds

Tel (03) 579 8373

Nikau Cottages

Marlborough Sounds

Tel (03) 579 8292

Portage Bay Bunkhouse (Portage Bay Resort)

Kenepuru Road, Portage Bay, Kenepuru Sound

Tel (03) 573 4309

Portage Bay Shop

Kenepuru Road, Portage Bay, Kenepuru Sound

Tel (03) 573 4445

Punga Cove Resort

Punga Cove, Queen Charlotte Sound

Tel (03) 579 8561

Te Mahoerangi

Nydia Track, Marlborough Sounds

Tel (03) 579 8411

Hiking

NYDIA TRACK

The Nydia Track (27km; 2 days) connects Tennyson Inlet with Kaiuma Bay, near Havelock. It follows the shoreline of Nydia Bay and crosses the Kaiuma and Nydia Saddles.

Rutherford Travel (tel (03) 375 2104; website www.rutherfordtravel.co.nz) in the Havelock YHA is also the local DOC office and they organise transport packages with a ferry drop off at Shag Point near the start of the track and pick up at Duncan Bay. This transport package costs $45 and there are other packages that include accommodation.

QUEEN CHARLOTTE TRACK

The Queen Charlotte Track (71km; 3-5 days) takes in beautiful scenery on the stretch of land between Kenepuru and Queen Charlotte Sounds. Although the trail can be hiked in either direction, most people start at Ship Cove (where Captain James Cook took shelter between 1770 and 1777) and walk back toward Anakiwa near Picton.

The Queen Charlotte Track is also popular with mountain bikers, except in summer (Dec-Feb) when bikes are not permitted. It takes around 13 hours to ride the length of the track.

Ship Cove to Resolution Bay (4.5km; 2hrs)

The track begins at Ship Cove, a 1hr boat ride from Picton. Captain James Cook took shelter here on five separate occasions between 1770 and 1777. There is an historic reserve here that features Cook's Monument.

From Ship Cove, the track climbs through native bush to a lookout that offers breathtaking views to Mount Egmont/Taranaki in the North Island and then descends to Resolution Bay where there are cabins and a campsite.

Resolution Bay to Endeavour Inlet (10.5km; 3hrs)

The track from Resolution Bay follows an old bridle path to Endeavour Inlet where there are a couple of accommodation options, but no campsite.

Endeavour Inlet to Camp Bay (11.5km; 4hrs)

From Endeavour Inlet, the track follows the shoreline to Camp Bay where there is a DOC campsite and backpackers' accommodation at the Punga Cove Resort.

Camp Bay to Torea Saddle (20.5km; 8hrs)

This is the hardest part of the track, but you are rewarded by breathtaking views of the sounds from the ridge-top walk. Although there are a couple of campsites on this section, most people hike it all in one day and stay at one of the three backpackers' hostels in Portage, near Torea Saddle.

Torea Saddle to Mistletoe Bay (7.5km; 4hrs)

This section climbs out of Torea Saddle and follows the ridgeline along the highest points of the track offering more spectacular views. It is recommended to take the one-hour detour off the track to the brilliant Lochmara Lodge, which is one of New Zealand's best backpackers' hostels. There is a DOC campsite at Mistletoe Bay.

Mistletoe Bay to Anakiwa (12.5km; 4hrs)

The final leg of the walk follows old bridle paths descending to a DOC campsite at Davies Bay (Umungata) before the final easy walk into Anakiwa. At Anakiwa there's a backpackers' hostel and a shelter with a toilet and payphone where you can wait for your transport back to Picton.

Blenheim

Blenheim is the largest town in the Marlborough region and it is the commercial centre for New Zealand's top wine producing district. Marlborough wines – particularly Sauvignon Blanc – have an excellent reputation internationally and the locally produced Cloudy Bay is considered one of the best.

The attraction for many budget travellers is the abundance of work in the vineyards, especially during the grape harvest. The managers of the local backpackers hostels are a tremendous source of knowledge when it comes to looking for work.

Practical Information

Visitor Information Centre

Blenheim Railway Station, State Highway 1, Blenheim

Tel (03) 577 8080

Website www.destinationmarlborough.co.nz

Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat-Sun 9am-4pm

Coming & Going

AIR

Blenheim Airport, on State Highway 6 near Renwick, handles Air New Zealand (tel 0800 737 000; website www.airnz.co.nz) flights to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington and Origin Pacific (tel 0800 302 302; website www.originpacific.co.nz) flights from Wellington.

Both airlines' service to and from Wellington is a good value alternative to the ferry.

BUS

Blenheim lies on State Highway 1, which runs down the east coast of the South Island.

It is well served by coach and shuttle bus services linking Picton with Kaikoura and Christchurch. These include InterCity, Atomic Shuttles (tel (03) 578 9904; website www.atomictravel.co.nz) and East Coast Express (tel 0508 830 900), which depart from the train station on Sinclair Street.

Kiwilink Shuttles (tel (03) 577 8332; website www.kiwilinks.co.nz) go to Picton, Nelson, the Abel Tasman National Park and Golden Bay.

Deluxe Travel Line (tel (03) 578 5467; website www.deluxetravel.co.nz) runs a couple of coaches a day between Blenheim and Picton.

TRAIN

The TranzCoastal train linking Christchurch and Picton stops at Blenheim. The train station is on Sinclair Street in the town centre.

Accommodation

Arrow Backpackers

107 Budge Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 577 9857

Cherrycamp House

52 Budge Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 579 5445

Honi-B Backpackers

18 Parker Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 577 8441

Jack's Backpackers

144 High Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 578 7375

Koanui Backpackers

33 Main Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 578 7487

Leeways Backpackers

33 Landsdowne Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 579 2213

Lemon Tree Backpackers

78 Main Street, Blenheim

Tel (03) 579 5413

Swampys Backpackers

2 Ferry Road, Spring Creek, Blenheim

Tel (03) 570 2180

The Grapevine

29 Park Terrace, Blenheim

Tel (03) 578 6062

Sights

Marlborough Musem

This large regional museum has exhibits of local history.

Brayshaw Park, Arthur Baker Place, Blenheim

Tel (03) 578 1712

Website www.marlboroughmuseum.org.nz

Admission $5

Open 10am-4pm daily

Renwick

Renwick is a great location for exploring the surrounding vineyards with many wineries within an easy bike ride.

Accommodation

Watson's Way

56 High Street, Renwick

Tel (03) 572 8228