Day 9: Martinborough → Wellington → ferry
2026-11-10 · Martinborough → Grovetown · Ferry crossing
98 mi · 158 km · 4h 25m
Away by 9:30 over the Remutaka Hill and along the harbour to the ferry terminal for the Cook Strait crossing to Picton — check in an hour before whichever sailing you book (options listed below). Top-deck seats through Tory Channel and the Marlborough Sounds, then off the boat and a short hop south to Grovetown on the quiet edge of Blenheim.
Stops
- Te PapasightNew Zealand's superb (and free) national museum on the Wellington waterfront.
- Cook Strait FerrycruiseThe 3-hour Wellington→Picton crossing into the Marlborough Sounds — a scenic voyage in itself.
- BlenheimtownThe hub of the Marlborough wine region, surrounded by the vineyards that make NZ's world-famous Sauvignon Blanc. One of the country's sunniest and driest towns.
Tonight: Grovetown
No place picked for this night yet.
In Grovetown base plan
- Spring Creek Holiday Park holiday-park
Quiet, leafy park on the northern edge of Blenheim — a better night's sleep than the highway-side parks in town, and an easy first stop off the evening ferry.