Overview
Take a Trip to Picton on your New Zealand Vacation
Picton is situated at the head of the Queen Charlotte Sound on the north coast of the South Island and is the starting point for the ferry service across the Cook Strait to Wellington on the North Island on a New Zealand vacation. It is a small, picturesque seaport with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and continues to grow as a tourist destination in New Zealand.
Built around a sheltered harbour, it has an attractive seafront dotted with cafes, restaurants and a number of arts and crafts centres. It boasts a floating maritime museum and an aquarium, the third largest in the country.
In this region, one can go fishing, dolphin watching and sea kayaking. Also nearby is the Queen Charlotte Track, a stunning coastal walk. Take time on a New Zealand Vacation to visit the Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary by taking a Marlborough Sounds cruise to view rare birds in their eco-friendly safe environment.
At a Glance
Languages
English, MaoriCurrency
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)What do the experts say?
The food in New Zealand is incredible, and New Zealanders are rightly proud of their paddock to plate cuisine. Almost everything is sustainably grown and processed, from lamb and seafood to vegetables and fruit.
About 20 percent of New Zealand is made up of National Parks, Forests, and Nature Reserves. And they’re all free to enter!
The Māori cultural experiences and performances offered throughout the North and South Islands are well worth seeking out. If the opportunity presents itself, definitely take part in a hāngī
Looking for a great restaurant in New Zealand? Try The Bunker in Queenstown, Plato in Dunedin, Manu in Christchurch, and Oppies Fish & Chips in Rotorua
All Blacks rugby is huge in New Zealand. If you’re a sports fan, be sure to check out a home game. The All Blacks typically play their home test matches during the months of July, August, September and sometimes October
Picton as seen from the deck of an approaching ...
Picton marina is a great photo opportunity whil...
Timber logs in the port of Picton
The Cook Strait
Most Popular Time to Travel
Know when to go.
Place
Conditions
Daily max temperatureMonthly rainfall
PictonOccasional Showers
21°C / 70°F
72mm / 2.8"
Weather data is based on monthly averages.Popularity rating
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ExcellentBased on 5,156 ReviewsAfter spending some time with our agent, we felt that she understood exactly what we had in mind as far as the level of service, etc, we were hoping for. The trip exceeded our expectations. Lori kept us busy(not too busy!) and we had many, many very exciting experiences. Bruce BelshawAylin is an exceptionally proficient advisor. Coordinating my clients simultaneously often feels like herding cats, but she has remained patient and accommodating through every modification and delay. Goway continues to be my go-to for complex itineraries, and they never disappoint.Nick Cron, ACCMahalo Goway Travel for helping in planning our group Japan's trip. Lawrence was very helpful & patient with all the changes & additions we did. Also, mahalo to Natasa who helped planned my Australia trip past November. The planning from transportation to tours to hotels worked very smoothly. I'll continue to use Goway travel for all my International trips. I'll also will recommend to my friends & family to use Goway...MahaloTanya LaguatanMaria Spitman was wonderful to work with. She was very helpful in designing our trip to Japan and equally wonderful when we had to cancel it. I loved the service she gave us.Sandy WarrenMy daughter and I had a wonderful 2 weeks in New Zealand! The country is so beautiful and the people so friendly. Our destination specialist did a great job with planning and organizing the itinerary, choosing our hotels, and organizing transportation. The hotels were absolutely beautiful and we had great views. We felt right at home and found all of the staff to be friendly and accommodating. There were no issues with our itinerary and our excursions we were always on the list. Our transportation was always ready and waiting for us.
We want to thank Goway Travel for their hard work and patience with us in planning this trip. Any changes that needed to be made were communicated timely. We also want to thank you for the beautiful weather during the entire 2 weeks it was perfect every day 😀.
It was a memorable trip that we will never forget and we will think of Goway when we plan our next adventure. Because it was not just a vacation; it was an adventure!Connie WenhardtWe had a great travelling experience with GoWay !
Thank you all involved in organazing our trip!MaiaBrigitta Fuller is Amazing! She was my group coordinator. She understood the assignment and all the nuances I was trying to achieve. The itinerary she curated was fantastic. If you want someone who truly cares about her group and what they are trying to achieve. I will always reach out to Brigitta first for Europe groups. Kathryn WalkerMy clients had a wonderful time on their trip to Easter Island. They were very pleased with the Hare Nua Hotel Boutique and especially noted the warmth and hospitality of the hotel staff as well as their excellent breakfasts.
Jaime Vargas-Hendandez was an exceptionally gracious and knowledgeable agent, who went out of his way to ensure that my clients had the best possible experience. I will definitely contact him for future bookings and will recommend him to my colleagues.Alethea KardasWe were just back from an ambitious 42-day grand circle through seven of the ASEAN countries! An itinerary gestating over a period of time, carefully planned and pore over intently all the way through proved satisfying as expected, but the amazing "embarras de richesse" in six weeks such as we've never experienced before truly went beyond our imagination, both in terms of scenery and culture! The vast majority of the local teams who work with Goway provided impressive service throughout our stay, and quite a number of the guides and drivers deserve to be called cream of the crop in their line of work. But ultimately, we owe our destination specialist Taryn a profound gratitude for her insight and for her coordination efforts which made all this possible.
When our debit card was not retrievable in an airport ATM Taryn again went out of her way to approve a small loan through transfer to our local guide's bank account, who then withdrew cash from an ATM while we simply paid Goway Travel by credit card through an online payment link. This helped us tremendously through that difficult moment. We will always treasure this kindness on her part.Yuan LinAlice was most helpful - full of insider suggestions.
She was a good listener and able to provide tours, routes and guides tailored to our interests. She made our February trip to New Zealand entirely wonderful.
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