best way to get to picton from auckland?
 

i was wondering if any of the wonderful antipodean experts for NZ would have an idea of the best way to get to picton from auckland, and not by car? thanks lavici

Fly, ferry from Wellington to Picton, or swim.

Following info taken from this site:

http://www.qctrack.co.nz/picton/picton.asp

Picton can easily be reached from both North and South Islands.

By Air

SoundsAir - up to 7 daily flights Picton / Wellington
Air New Zealand - up to 10 daily flights Blenheim / Wellington, 3 flights Blenheim / Auckland and 3 flights Blenheim / Christchurch.

Origin Pacific - up to 3 daily flights Blenheim / Wellington

Marlborough Shuttles
Airport shuttles run a reliable service from the airport to Picton

By Road

Self-Drive - State Highway 1 runs through Blenheim, Marlborough's main centre directly up to Picton, approximately 30 minutes north of Blenheim.

The highway connects to the Inter-Island Ferry service at Picton. Picton can also be approaced from the west (Nelson and the West Coast) via the Queen Charlotte Drive.

Driving distances and times to and from Picton.

Km (miles) Approx Time
Picton - Nelson
(via Queen Charlotte Drive) 110 (68) 2 hrs 30 mins
Picton - Christchurch 336 (209) 5 hours
Picton - Blenheim 28 (17) 30 mins

These times are based on driving at 80 to 100 km per hour on open stretches of road, with a small allowance for traffic delays, petrol stops and refreshments.


Coach - InterCity Coachlines and Newmans Coachlines offer a range of scheduled services to the Marlborough region. Other local companies operate services to and from the Wellington region.

By Sea

Ferry Operators - The Lynx and The Interislander transport passengers and vehicles across Cook Strait between Picton and Wellington for those travelling with vehicles from the the North Islands. The journey takes approximately 3 hours.
The ferries link with Tranz Scenic Train services in Wellington and Picton, making it easier to book travel.


By Rail
Tranz Rail operates the Coastal Pacific, which links the port of Picton to Christchurch. It connects with the Interislander ferry in Picton. Journey time is 5 hours 20 minutes.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information on getting to Picton:

Contact our i-SITE Visitor Centres for up-to-date travel information and details.

www.destinationmarlborough.com
www.newzealand.com/travel

thanks again melnq :) jj

hi again melnq... i just checked the tranz rail, and the have 'the overlander' which takes 12 hours to get from auckland to wellington...for a $NZ 115 one way. i wll check the the air and compare. it does sound like a very long day but on the other hand, it traverses the whole north island of course, so maybe it's a good chance to "see" the NI at least from the train.
would you think three days for auckland would be ok before taking the journey down to the SI?

I'd think three days in Auckland would give you plenty of time to see the local sites (I'm not a city person though, so take that with a grain of salt). If you want to make day trips from Auckland though, you might prefer more time.

"Would you think three days for auckland would be ok before taking the journey down to the SI?"

Personally, I think you could easily make do with less than 3 days. AKL is relatively small, and doesn't have all that many MUST-DO's, IMO.

You might take a day trip out to Waiheke and visit wineries, you can take a tour of the city, enjoy the harbor, and perhaps take in some greenery as well.

I suspect that 2+ days is good if you're not wedded to urban life.
Best, Dave

Just letting you know that Origin Pacific airlines is no longer operating (went into liquidation). Air New Zealand now has the monopoly flying into the smaller centres.

Pacific Blue and Qantas also fly to the main centres ie Auckland to Wellington, Christchurch, or Dunedin.

thanks to all of you :) yes, i'm not a city person really, but i was wondering about the jet lag flying in from miami:( and that's why i was calculating staying the day i arrive on thursday morning + 2 more? i'll be staying in a B&B in ponsonby st. i've also decided to take the overlander train thru the N.I. down to wellington, even though it's 12 hours, at least i can R&R, read, watch the landscape etc. i will arrive @ 7.25pm so i'll have to sleep that night in wellington, take the ferry next morning to picton, overnight in there( any suggestions?) tramp the QCT, and afterwards i wanted to stay around the marlborough,blenheim, nelson, abel tasman area. any suggestions as of where should i stay for a few days to walk around the wineries, take water taxis to abel tasman etc? then ferry back to wellington for 2 days- maybe tasmania,to do the freycinet walk- sydney for a week, as i have a 4 day conference which leaves me 3 days to walk around the city. i haven't purchased my tkts yet so my dates are still flexible so i hear you all... gracias, janine

Janine -

Here are some places we've enjoyed staying in the Nelson/Motueka/Abel Tasman area:

The Blue Moon B&B - located in Riwaka, Motueka, 50 minutes from Nelson, short drive to Abel Tasman

www.thebluemoon.co.nz/

The Old Schoolhouse - located on a small vineyard in Tasman, between Nelson and Motueka -

www.kinabeach.com/school.html

Maple Grove Cottage - located in Upper Moutere between Nelson and Mouteka in the center of wine country -

www.maplegrove.co.nz/

Almyra Villa - located in the seaside town of Mapua, between Nelson and Motueka

http://www.tandmholidays.com/almyra/index.htm

And their sister property below (which I have NOT stayed at, but would certainly consider) -

http://www.almyra.co.nz/index.htm

well thankx again melnq: i'll check them out! i'm thinking i may rent a car after i finish the tramp, just for my stay around that area,it seems worthwhile in the sense of independence, freedom and flexibility. certainly looks so... anything in picton and /or wellington you can think of? i've checked several some of the apartments and sennen house in picton. now the more i read the more i want to do and see, specially since it's so far away for me.
janine

Highly recommend renting a car if you're open to the idea. There's just so much to see in the area and distances are greater than you might expect.

I've never stayed IN Picton, choosing instead to stay in the Sounds (Bay of Many Coves and the disasterous stay at Punga Cove mentioned in a different thread).

It's been years since I was in Wellington, so can't help there.

please melqn do you mind sharing why was punga cove so disastrous?
well, bay of many coves sounds really nice so i could stay there instead after my tramp.
i just read bradford's suggested itinerary in another thread and he said give wellington a day, so i may give the marlborough area more time. i'm just keen on flying on to tas before going to sydney, i found a great outfitter for the freycinet walk but last group leaves april 11th, which is early for me. i remember you mentioned you froze at lake st. clair.gracias... janine

Regarding Punga -

You'll find my review and those of others here:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...th_Island.html

I haven't bothered to read the replies on here, short of time, but if you go onto Air NZ's website they have some great deals for domestic flights. I assume you just want to make your way to Marlborough and believe Picton is the first stop, there isn't much there apart from the ferry terminal and a few hotels and B & B's, I would suggest you fly to Blenheim or Nelson to begin your Marlborough tour. Plus it is quick and cheaper than contemplating the ferries from Wellington.

thanks kathy nz... i will check them out jj

A few random suggestions:

If you are arriving at AKL in the morning then just fly to Blenheim that day. No need to even leave the airport.

If you go into Auckland then two nights there will be enough.

I wouldn't want to take a 12-hour train trip only a couple of days after traveling for ~24 hours.

If you want to ride the train then you might like a stop at Tongariro.

yes mrwunrfl
you're right, imagine 12 hours after 24 :p or i might just fly from tasmania into wellington, and stay there for 2 nights before picton etc? jj