Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area
Located in the Marlborough region
Introduction
Camp at one of the many coastal campsites, or take in spectacular bays from the numerous tracks. Visit Captain Cook's favourite New Zealand base.Highlights
Find things to do and places to stay Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui area
Visit Meretoto/Ship Cove, James Cook's favourite New Zealand base during his three voyages of exploration. Key cultural heritage stories are told in a beautiful sheltered cove with a lush coastal forest backdrop.
Access this area by boat or from Queen Charlotte Drive between Picton and Havelock.
- The weather in the Sounds is generally mild, but conditions can change quickly, especially on the water. Ensure that you have adequate equipment and experience, and, if you are going out on the water, check the marine weather forecast.
- The Sounds has a restricted fire season all year round and any fire must have a permit.
- Boil, filter, or treat water for drinking. On some tracks you must carry water.
- In late summer and autumn, carry antihistamine if allergic to wasp stings.
Marlborough Sounds Foreshore Reserve permits
Residents and bach owners adjacent to Sounds Foreshore Reserve may be permitted to construct and maintain access related structures and tracks on the reserve. Get more information.
According to Māori tradition, the South Island is the canoe of Aoraki. Its sunken prow forms Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui and Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere. The sounds provided good shelter and food for Māori. To avoid travelling by sea from one sound to another, they carried their waka/canoes over low saddles.
Captain James Cook also used the sounds for shelter and food. He made Meretoto/Ship Cove his base in the 1770s and discovered a plant (Cooks scurvy grass) high in vitamin C to cure scurvy. On Motuara Island, he proclaimed British sovereignty over the South Island. Some areas are known for their whaling history.
Contacts
| Whakatū / Nelson Visitor Centre | |
| Phone: | +64 3 546 9339 |
| Fax: | +64 4 471 1117 |
| Email: | nelsonvc@doc.govt.nz |
| Address: |
Millers Acre/Taha o te Awa 79 Trafalgar Street Nelson 7010 |
| Postal Address: |
Private Bag 5 Nelson 7042 |
| Full office details | |