What to See & Do in Picton

Picton is a lovely seaside town on the edge of the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sounds at the northern end of the South Island. It is from here that the ferries go to and from Wellington in the North Island.

So what can you do whilst staying here at Sequoia Lodge?

Many guests use our hostel as a base in which to explore the Marlborough Sounds & to visit local wineries or as a place to spend time to plan the rest of their South Island trip. It is a great place to kick back, rejuvenate and take a break before continuing on your travels or before getting on the boat heading North.

• Local Walks
  There are some beautiful walks around the township of Picton with the Tirohanga Walkway, the Snout Track, Esson’s Valley Reservoir and Karaka Point to name just a few. Just ask us when you check in and we’ll give you a map and point you in the right direction.
• Cafes, bars and restaurants
  Picton is a bustling seaside town that has a variety of cafes, bars, restaurants and an award winning Dutch bakery.
• Museums & Aquarium
  EcoWorld Aquarium, The Edwin Fox Maritime Museum and Picton Museum with the history of Picton, the Marlborough Sounds from Maori through to European settlers.
• Mini Golf and Miniture Railway on the Picton Foreshore
  Try your luck with a game of mini golf & for the children there are train rides & a pond with model boats to play with.
• Queen Charlotte Sounds
  Many people come to Picton to explore the Marlborough Sounds.The Queen Charlotte Sounds Walkway is 71km long and takes 3 to 4 days to walk from Ship’s Cove to Anakiwa. Much of the walk is easy going and is either next to the water winding around beautiful coves or walking up and along ridges where you get expansive and amazing views across the Sounds. The walk can be done by those of average fitness although there are a couple of ‘grunty’ uphills. One option to lessen the pain of these is to have your pack transferred to your accommodation. There is a big range of accommodation along the track from DoC camping grounds, to backpackers, resorts, lodges & B&B’s.
  Mountain biking the walkway is also an option though the main part of the track is closed to cyclists from 1 Dec to 28th Feb.Apart from walking and mountain biking there are loads of other options of things to do in the Sounds.
  Take the mail boat cruise to see out of way places and deliver mail and supplies to remote communities. Sea kayaking, fishing, sailing and diving (dive the world’s biggest divable cruise ship the Mikhail Lermontov – which sunk in Port Gore in 1986).

  When you arrive we are more than happy to advise and help you book these activities.

• Other Things to Do
  Wine Tours around the famous Marlborough Wineries: Wine Tour operators will pick up and drop off from our hostel for any half or full day wine tour.