Picton Activities

Picton | Regional Information | Activity Highlights | Scenic Highlights | History

Picton is a popular holiday destination and an ideal base to explore the breathtaking Marlborough Sounds and surrounding areas.

Picton Activity Highlights Overview

Nestled in the stunning Marlborough Sounds, Picton is a popular holiday destination offering a wide range of eco-tourism attractions and activities.

Activities include:

Image Source: Tourism New Zealand. Kayaking with orca in Marlborough Sounds, Marlborough, New Zealand

Kayaking With Orca
Marlborough, New Zealand
Photographer: Ian Trafford
(www.iantraffordphotos.com)

Fishing
Diving
Walking
Tramping
Kayaking
Cycling
Scenic Flights
Dolphin Watching

» Picton Activities Directory

Diving

Diving is a popular activity in Picton. A popular diving trip is to the 177 metre long wreck of the former cruise liner MS Mikhail Lermontov, which now lies at Port Gore, 37 metres underwater. It is one of the world's largest, most accessible and most recent shipwrecks.

Guiding is essential as the 1986 wreck is in 30 metres of water and divers can become disoriented inside the hull.

Other excellent diving sites in the Picton region include Fish Reserve, the Koi wreck, and Long Island Marine Reserve.

The Marlborough Sounds are a great place to dive; there are stunning kelp forests, loads of marine life including the Long Island Marine Reserve and for the adventurer, a bevy of wrecks to satisfy all from the novice to the 'guru' diver.

The Marlborough Sounds

Kayak Camp Marlborough Sounds
Marlborough, New Zealand
Photographer: Graham Charles
(imagematters@clear.net.nz)

The calm waters of the sounds are excellent for kayaking, and the stunning vistas of the Queen Charlotte Track can be experienced on a 3 to 5 day tramp.

For something a bit different you and can choose to hire a mountain bike and explore the Marlborough Sounds that way.

Here in the Marlborough Sounds you can have a great getaway holiday in one of the secluded bays, many of which can only be accessed by boat.

» Marlborough Sounds Information

» Marlborough Sounds Travel Directory

Dolphin Diving

Picton offers guided tours where one can swim with the playful Dolphins or just watch them from the boat. On these tours you will also encounter seals, seabirds and enjoy a nature experience of fantastic scenery with great guides.

Scenic Flights

Picton offers scenic flights over the Marlborough Sounds and beyond. These flights offer beautiful views of crystal blue waters and the sweeping beaches of Tasman Bay and many other beautiful sights of the Nelson and Marlborough Regions.

Picton Township

Image Source: Tourism New Zealand. Picton in Marlborough

Picton, Marlborough
New Zealand
Photographer: Ivor Wilkins
(ivorw@xtra.co.nz)

While in the township, enjoy the gardens on the foreshore, or learn about Queen Charlotte Sound's whaling past at Picton Museum. For those with an interest in History visit the Picton Maritime and Heritage Museum on Picton's waterfront to discover more than 500 years of history, artifacts and early settler archives.