Picton – South Island
We opted to stay in the Picton TOP 10 holiday park located near the water.
Picton is the main transport hub between the North and South Islands. The port and the harbour are split, restaurants line the streets.
Picton is the second largest town in Marlborough behind Blenheim, with a population of around 1000 people.
Being out of season means we arrive when it’s a little quieter. You can imagine the streets filled with people enjoying the surroundings and tours being fully booked.
Picton i-SITE visitor centre provides free advice and booking service. We needed more local knowledge than our own maps and searches could provide.
i-SITE visitor centres are located all over New Zealand
We wanted a medium hiking trail to do for the day and they suggested Lochmara Bay.
Lochmara Bay
Located in the Queen Charlotte Sound, a short water taxi ride from Picton drops you off at the bay.
The Lochmara lodge is a resort that provides accommodation, and a cafe and has easy acces to the Queen Charlotte trail.
We were here to hike, so we walked past the lodge and entered the trail, with the water taxi picking us up in 2 and a bit hours we didn’t have much time to sit around.
The trail itself is very well signposted, as are nearly off of the trails in New Zealand. There are a few options depending on the distance you wish to do.
We opted for the Onahau Lookout distance which would take approximately 1hr 15min and is a nice 2km walk. It was time to see how far we could get in the time that we had.
Clearly signposted, with a slight climb up from the Lodge but nothing too strenuous, you pass little figurines (The band) and also a wall of footwear. (never did ask the reason)
The birds are inquisitive as well.
The higher you go on this walk, the more of the scenery pops out from between the trees.
The fresh clear air to inhale, the sun beating down on open areas, and the blue sea and green trees really highlight the scenery.
We couldn’t make it all the way to the lookout, but the higher we went, the more the Sounds opened up to reveal more inlets.
The rolling landscape in the distance kept changing shapes, and the colour of the water changed as the clouds passed over.
Blenheim
Our next stop was to Blenheim, this took us to Blenheim bridges holiday park.
Since we were in Malborough and over the last couple of years have probably propped up the local economy by way of our wine consumption, we wanted to see the wine country up close.
Nearly all wine companies provide a walk-in wine tasting options, that was too tempting not to try.
We opted for Bike2Wine, a link can be found here to their website. They picked us up from the Holiday Park and fitted us up with a bike, maps, helmet and wine-carrying panniers. They also operate as a bed and breakfast.
We could just get on the bike from their property and follow the roads until we reached our first stop.
This is how we ended the day.
Marahau – Abel Tasman National Trail
After the headache passed we took a slow drive up to Marahau beach park, we knew we were going to stay here for a few days, as we wanted to see and walk a bit of Abel Tasman National Park.
Another stunning place to stay for a few days. The beach park is right on the beach, there was a cafe/bar/restaurant on the waterfront called Hooked.
The trailhead itself was a short walk to get to, so all kitted up and ready for a long walk, we set off.
The walk started off very casually, passing a visitors centre and the scene opening up to a bay, vibrant shades of brown in colour. Sea birds pick off food from the sand. The contrast of colours from the sea to the coast and the dramatic patterns in the sand from a receding sea.
We chose to walk to Anchorage, a mere 4hrs away, along the coastal path. The path itself was easy to walk, clean and easy to follow.
Along this route, is a hard-packed dusty path that reveals gems along the way, from small waterfalls to private beaches and inlets.
Note: Carrying water and maybe a snack is essential to accomplishing this trail as there is nothing around to help you.
There is a camping hut at Anchorage and the beach. Once there, you have an option to walk back or catch the water taxi back to Marahau.
Remember to book a water taxi return before you set off.
Our return to Marahau was a brief water taxi back. We were hot, tired and in need of relaxing for the afternoon.
As mentioned earlier, we went for a nice meal at Hooked and watched the sunset.
Punakaiki
The drive here from Marahau was long, it took us nearly 5 hours to get here, the weather was against us, heavy rain, and not much time to go and see Pancake Rock and blowholes. We tried a short walk and managed to do some laundry in the camp facilities, but after a long drive, we opted to visit a nearby bar for an evening meal and look at where we would be going next.
Journey to Greymouth
We woke up to better weather, still grey, but at least the rain was holding off. Our next stop was to see the glaciers, Franz Josef is the first one we would get to. However, fuel and supplies were running low, and as we were passing through Greymouth, it would be a good place to re-stock.
There’s a reason New Zealand has rainforests
The grey weather, turning the sea grey, the mountains that we could see that was not covered in mist or cloud had an equally grey look to themselves, and our destination of Greymouth was not lost on us.
That being said, the roads were quiet, and we reminded ourselves that New Zealand would not be so green without the rains. This is the same message I give to people when they ask why Wales has so much rain.
Franz Josef
Arriving in Franz Josef, felt more touristy, there were people of all ages walking around, other motorhomes parked in the streets, and bars and restaurants were pretty much full, we decided to stop off the lunch at a cafe before our walk to the Franz Josef Glacier.
Parking at the glazier is easy, there is dedicated parking, plenty of space, and a clear trail to follow.
Getting to the glacier
The walk up the path was easy and the view was breathtaking, from the high-sided walls of the mountains on either side, the white tops of the glazier slowly come into view as you walk the path. The colour changes as the clouds in the sky break away to allow the sun to shine through.
You can only go so near to the glacier itself, and a sign at the entrance of the trail shows the receding glazier as time has gone on.
Seeing the trickling water come down from the tops mixing with the sediment of the rocks, appearing crystal clear in the streams below, is fascinating.
To read the next week of our 22-day trip, click here
If you just want to see where we went, including the journey we took, click here