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Picton is the small seaport at the top of the South Island, and gateway to the Marlborough Sounds. Primarily a service centre for ferry services to Wellington and stepping off point for the Queen Charlotte Walkway, the town has a quiet rural charm. However with one million people passing through each year, there is a busy feel to the place. There is a pretty little park between the foreshore and the town which features an aquarium, model train rides, mini golf and a playground for the kids, ideal during a wait for the ferry. The Edwin Fox Museum is located on the waterfront. This features a ship built in 1853 for the British East India Company which is the sole survivor of the original immigrant ships on the New Zealand run.
The Marlborough Sounds is a series of fiord like waterways that are actually drowned valleys where the sea rushed in when the mountains sank in the past millennia. The Maoris have a much more exotic story of their creation however. It tells of the great explorer Kupe who wrestled with a giant octopus and grasped onto the South Island for support, his fingers digging into the land, carving out the waterways. In 1770 Captain Cook anchored in Ship Cove. He stayed there 5 times between 1770 and 1777, during which time he released pigs into the wilderness, the descendants of which can still be seen to this day. Due to its remoteness, this tranquil area still looks much the same today as it was in Cook’s time. The region later became a focus for diverse range of activities from gold and antinomy mining, whaling, fishing and forestry.
The town of Picton dates from 1827 when John Guard established a whaling station in the sounds. This soon evolved into a port to ship produce from the nearby Waiau Plains. At the outer edges of the Marlborough Sounds lies D’Urville Island, named after the French explorer Admiral Jules Cesar Dumont D’Urville who almost lost his ship the Astrolabe as he navigated the treacherous currents between the island and the mainland. This stretch of water was thereafter named French Pass.
Just 30 km away from Picton is the town of Blenheim, the centre for the winegrowing region of Marlborough. This is New Zealand’s largest grape growing and wine producing region. It is home to the now world renowned New Zealand variety of Sauvignon Blanc, arguably the world’s best. Nowhere else is able to produce the unique buttery notes this variety demonstrates in the Wairau Valley. Other varieties such as Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon also thrive in the sunny microclimate of the area. Many of the wineries welcome visitors for tastings and have superb restaurants available.
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