The ferry crossing
Between Picton and Wellington.
AnnWoolliams — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carlos Pacheco from Toronto, Canada — CC BY 2.0 · missbossy from Singapore, Singapore — CC BY 2.0 · Oren Rozen — CC BY-SA 3.0 · W. Bulach — CC BY-SA 4.0
Queen Charlotte Sound, officially Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui since 2014, is the easternmost of the main sounds of the Marlborough Sounds at the top of New Zealand's South Island. The town of Picton lies near its head, and the sound runs south-west to north-east before joining Cook Strait. The sound is a drowned river valley, so steep forested hills rise straight from the water and the shores are dotted with small settlements and single properties, many of them reached only by boat. The Māori name comes from the local tōtara trees. Before and after European contact the sound was an important place of trade between North and South Island Māori. Captain James Cook sheltered here on each of his three voyages and named it after Queen Charlotte, and from a hill on nearby Arapaoa Island in 1770 he first saw the passage that became Cook Strait. Interisland ferries between Picton and Wellington sail through the sound, giving passengers a long view of its calm water and green hills. From Picton you can take water taxis and cruises, or walk and cycle the Queen Charlotte Track along the ridges between this sound and Kenepuru Sound.
Between Picton and Wellington.
A ridge walk.
Gardens and marina.
Marlborough Sounds, South Island, New Zealand
By water taxi or cruise from Picton.
Yes, but boat trips are paid.