Westport to Picton
Marlborough Self Drive Travel Guide.

  Travel Facts
Distance: 289 km (180 miles)
Approximately: 3 Hours 50 minutes
Road Conditions:
State Highway 6 Westport to Kawatiri
Sate Highway 63 Kawitiri to Blenheim
State Highway 1 Blenheim to Picton

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Westport - Inangahua - Murchison - Kawatiri - Blenheim - Picton

Following State Highway 6 across farmed river flats that give way to banks of native Rata the first leg into the Buller Gorge is an easy journey as we follow the mighty Buller river up to Murchison and the Kawatiri Junction where we cross onto State Highway 63 for Blenheim.

... the road is cut into the hill side

The drive through the lower gorge is truely scenic as we follow the Buller River around the edge of mountains, skirting river flats to Berlins and on to the Upper Gorge Road.

At Hawks Crag the road way is a single lane that is literally cut into the mountain side.

Inangahua

The township of Inangahua was devasted by the earthquakes of 1928 and 1967 that hit the region. The Inangahua Hall has an excellent historic display recounting the tremendous power of these two events.

 

Westport - Inangahua - Murchison - Kawatiri - Blenheim - Picton

At Lyell about 15kms past Inangahua there is an interesting 90 minute return walk through the forest to a stamping battery which crushed gold-bearing quartz from the Croesus Mine.

Other features along the way include a goldfield cemetery and interesting tailings (mounds of stones) left by alluvial miners after gold-bearing gravels had been sluiced away. Return the same way.

The walkway begins at the Lyell picnic and camping area, located 35 km from Murchison, the area is well sign posted.

From here it is an awesome drive through the Upper Buller Gorge to Murchison in the Nelson Tasman region.

Westport - Inangahua - Murchison - Kawatiri - Blenheim - Picton

Murchison, Nelson Tasman New Zealand.

First known as Hampden, Murchison sprang to life with the discovery of gold and later grew into farming.

Devastated on the 17th of June 1929 by an earthquake that killed 17 people as it wrenched the mountainsides blocking rivers and cutting roads. The Museum here is well worth a visit.

From Murchison we continue on SH6 north to Kawatiri Junction. Leaving the glory and green that is the coast behind as we follow the Buller through 35kms of farmed river flats and Beech forest to the Junction.

Westport - Inangahua - Murchison - Kawatiri - Blenheim - Picton

Kawatiri Junction, Nelson Tasman, New Zealand

At the Kawatiri Junction State Highway 6 meets our route to Blenheim State Highway 63.

There are a number of short walks in the area centered around the Historic railway.

From the Junction we follow the signs for St Arnaud and Blenheim.

St Arnaud sits at the northern tip of Lake Rotoiti (photo below), where the mighty Buller River begins.

Part of the Nelson Lakes National Park, Lake Rotoiti and her sister Rotoroa offer abundant summer sporting and boating activities. A short drive then brings us to our first meeting with the Wairau River as we continue our journey through the River Valley to Blenheim.

Lake Rotoiti, Nelson Lakes.

This part of the journey is easy travelling passing hrough the settlements of Hillersden and Wairau Valley before Renwick and Blenheim township. at the junction with Statehighway north to Picton.

Blenheim

At the junction of the Opawa and Omaka Rivers, Blenheim sits where James Sinclair first built a hut in 1852, owing it's initial existence to the proximity to ford and landing place for crossing the rivers. Today the township is a center for the surrounding territory, with a number of interesting places to visit not the least of which are the Museum and Blenkinsopp's cannon situated near Seymour Park.

From Blenheim the drive north on State Highway 1 to Picton is short passing a number of Marlboroughs best vineyards. But we must resist the temptation to sample unless we have a designated sober driver.

Westport - Inangahua - Murchison - Kawatiri - Blenheim - Picton

Southern port for the inter-island ferry services Picton is a unique and picturesque seaside town.

The first port (literally) for many Self Drive visitors is the Cook Straight Ferry terminal and township of Picton. Visitors can enjoy the warmth and relaxed ambience of a small and charming seaside town situated amid some of New Zealands varied but always spectacular scenery.

Once a Maori settlement and steeped in maritime history, Picton now accommodates the Marlborough region's main port and extensive marina facilities alongside a host of restaurants, cafés, arts & crafts galleries and souvenir shopping.

Picton and the Sounds.

At the top of the South Island, Marlborough province is formed from a series of fault blocks that reach out into Cook Straight. The furtherest reaching of these is the area known as the Marlborough Sounds, where the deep valleys have been invaded by the sea to form an intricate puzzle of sounds. The most well known are Queen Charlotte Sound where Picton township sits on the southern shore, and the 45km Pelorus Sound with its 350 plus kilometres of shoreline.

 

Welcome to Picton - enjoy your stay.

This Guide last Updated: February 2011