Marlborough is located near the centre of New Zealand at the north-east corner of the South Island, accessible by road, air, inter-island ferry and rail. There are two airports: Blenheim Airport, which is the regional base for Air New Zealand and Air2There, and Picton Airport at Koromiko, operated by Sounds Air.
Driving Distances by Automobile
FROM TO TIME DISTANCE
Christchurch Blenheim 4 hr 25 min 308 km
Christchurch Picton 4 hr 50 min 336 km
Christchurch Havelock 5 hr 20 min 371 km
Christchurch Kaikoura 2 hr 35 min 183 km
Nelson Blenheim 1 hr 40 min 116 km
Nelson Picton 1 hr 35 min 110 km
Nelson Havelock 1 hr 5 min 75 km
Nelson Kaikoura 3 hr 30 min 245 km
Blenheim Picton 0 hr 25 min 28 km
Blenheim Havelock 0 hr 55 min 63 km
Blenheim Kaikoura 1 hr 50 min 129 km
   
Inter-Island Ferries
FROM TO TIME CARRIER
Wellington Picton 3 hr 00 min Interislander
Wellington Picton 3 hr 20 min Bluebridge
   
Air Travel
FROM TO TIME CARRIER
Auckland Blenheim 1 hr 20 min Air NZ
Wellington Blenheim 0 hr 25 min Air NZ
Christchurch Blenheim 0 hr 50 min Air NZ
Wellington Picton 0 hr 25 min Sounds Air
Wellington Blenheim 0 hr 25 min Air2There
It's a Fact...
FOUNDING FATHER
Acknowledged as Kaikoura's founding father, Captain Robert Fyffe established the first whaling station in the area in 1842. Fyffe had worked for a number of years as a whaler in the Marlborough Sounds. However, disappointed with results, he moved south to establish the Kaikoura station "Waiopuka", building huts and sheds, and employing forty men. Other whaling stations soon followed, but as whale numbers declined, whaling became uneconomic.
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