Picton

The friendliness of this quaint waterfront village, snuggled between the hills and the sea, brings people back again and again. Picton, New Zealand has the best of both worlds, with award-winning restaurants and tourism activities together with the simplest of pleasures for all the family.

Picton Museum, with its volunteers, will tell you much of the area's whaling past. See the restoration of the old East Indiaman, the Edwin Fox, the Railway Station, and the scow Echo across the harbour. Watch the ferries glide in and out, and the bustle of fishing and pleasure boats.

Walk on the Picton Foreshore and enjoy the gardens and the children at play. Look up Queen Charlotte Sound and imagine what the great Captain James Cook saw in the 1770's when he returned again and again to Ship Cove to careen his boats.

Visit Waikawa with its attractive foreshore, marae, marina, and great Maori canoe, Waka Te Awatea Hou. Arrange to see some of the area's craftspeople. Stroll the streets and enjoy the easy shopping, the range of choices when it's meal or drinks time.

Stop and chat with the people who live here. Picton is a little town with a big heart, and it shows.

There is a broad range of accommodation in Picton and the Marlborough Sounds, and a huge range of things to see and do. Picton is also the main gateway to the glorious Marlborough Sounds. One of the main attractions in the region is the Queen Charlotte Track which is one of New Zealand's coastal walkways.

Special events include the Marlborough Walk, Foreshore and Maritime Festivals, fishing competitions, the Wine Marlborough Festival, cruise ship visits, Pelorus Jack harbour jetboat racing, yacht races and rowing regattas.

Give yourself time in Picton, and the little town will settle in your heart too.