This year’s Easter trip was back to the South Island. This trip was actually 2 weeks after my gallbladder surgery post emergency hospital stay. I was a bit nervous but I’m so glad I was able to go! It was the relaxing trip I needed!
I was quite nervous going on this trip as I really took my recovery seriously. My recovery was going well though and I was advised I was all good to go. I was still taking it easy as I was still uncomfortable at times. Thankfully it was a short flight from Auckland to Blenheim. I do recall this was the first time my name got called at the airport to board. We were still in line to get through and there was a long queue for the regional flights. We made it anyway and we were in one of the smallest AirNZ planes I’ve been in. It was a short although slightly bumpy flight.
Last year we went to Kaikōura and Hanmer Springs for Easter. This year, it was in Picton and Marlborough Sounds which I’ve never been to before. We arrived at the same airport as last year, Blenheim airport and drove to Picton as that’s where we were staying for the first part of our trip.
The reason we came here was for Max. He’s had a work event at the start of this trip in Blenheim and then we tagged on a little holiday afterwards. We were staying in Picton as that’s where his work booked accommodation. There was meant to be a huge Airshow event so I think the accommodation in Blenheim were fully booked and then it was eventually cancelled due to the weather. Anyway, I liked that we stayed in Picton as I got to enjoy this quaint little town by the water.
We got there late afternoon and didn’t have a proper lunch so we walked to town and ended up at Sisu Eatery which was by the waterfront. The weather cleared up then and we were sat outside. Sisu was so good that Max and I went back here towards the end of our trip. Highly recommend their crispy cabbage leaves!
The next day was Max’s work event so he was away and I had the whole day to explore Picton. The town is small but so quaint and beautiful. I went for a lovely walk.
Towards the end of the main road is a roundabout and the War Memorial Park. This had such a great view towards the water. I loved this view. It reminded me of Queenstown but more industrial due to the ships in Picton Port.
I ended up at the Coathanger Bridge and this was the view from the top of the bridge. It was so nice up there.
I then stopped at the famous Picton place Toastie Lords to grab a coffee. I knew I’d be back to try their toasted sandwiches too. This was the first of a few visits here. I didn’t grab food as I was by myself and at this stage, I was wary of the food I ate post-surgery. Even coffee was risky for me back then.
I had top stop by The Picton Bookshop as it was so cute and I ended up picking the Three Wee Bookshops At The End of the World by Ruth Shaw. I’ve read her first book and loved it so I knew I’d like this too. I love that I saw their bookshop dog as I spotted the book Bookshop Dogs, also by Ruth Shaw. I did finish this book during this trip and really enjoyed it.
I went back to our room, had a little rest then ventured back out for a snack. I also ended up in the secondhand bookshop, also with a bookshop dog! Then I popped into the Picton Village Bakery for their supposedly award-winning carrot cake. It was a pretty good carrot cake and the size was pretty big!
Max got back from his work event and we had to get ready for an 80s themed party. This was part of the work event but I was able to come. We all had matching 80s outfits from LookSharp that was not breathable but on theme. That was a fun night. There was a live band. I was still uncomfortable so I had to dance and sway while sitting down. Haha
The next day was the official start of our Easter holiday break. Max did an airport drop off so I had some time in the morning to grab breakfast.
I finally got a toasted sandwich from Toastie Lords. It was pretty good! Then Max and I were off for our next adventure.
I’m usually the planner for our trips but for this trip, Max took over pretty much everything. He booked all our accommodation and where/when we’ll be at. I didn’t really have much time or energy to plan due to being sick and needing surgery so it was nice to just show up and go with the flow.
Our next stop was Hopewell Lodge in Kenepuru Sound within Marlborough Sounds. It’s under 3 hr drive from Picton. The drive here was scenic but through winding roads. We stopped halfway for a break which was good because we were feeling it. We stopped by Portage Bay Hub cafe.
Hopewell Lodge is basically at the end of the road. It is such a wonderful place run by Mike and Lynley. They live there and have cottages for accommodation. We checked in and they had homemade hot cross buns for us which was lovely. It is quite remote so it’s best to bring food or you can order pizzas from them. There is a huge communal kitchen to cook your food, a lounge area with a fireplace and dining area to eat.
Hopewell Lodge is such a serene place. It was the perfect place to relax and enjoy the Marlborough Sounds. It was so peaceful but there are a lot of activities too.
We saw that you can collect oysters, cockles and mussels straight from the beach so we waited for low tide and Max did some collecting while I watched. We didn’t pick up oysters and mussels although we did see a bunch of them. Max opted for cockles which he ended up cooking with pasta for our lunch. It was great! The water was so clear. I didn’t want to go in as it was chilly.
This place also has a spa pool which Max didn’t even realise when he booked it. It had a great view of the water but we went in at night too when it was pitch black. It was lovely at any time of the day.
After the spa, the sun came out and Max cooked lunch with the cockles he collected earlier.
In the afternoon, I opted to read my book back in bed while Max took the row boat out to go fishing. So in Hopewell Lodge, you can borrow their paddle boards, row boat, kayaks and fishing gear. He ended up catching snapper. Mike helped Max with the fish he caught and we had sashimi for entree that night.
We loved Hopewell Lodge. I got chatting to some of the others who were staying here while in the communal kitchen. Some of them have stayed here a few times and kept coming back. I can completely understand why. It’s a lovely place to stay for peace and quiet but there are things to do as well. You can choose to completely relax and do nothing or do the many activities available too. Best of both!
After a lovely few days in Hopewell Lodge, it was sadly time to go. I would love to come back here in summer. It would be great swimming in the water, kayaking or paddle boarding in the Sounds.
On our drive back to Picton, we stopped by Te Mahia Bay for some lunch. We ended up at Tinker’s Kitchen. This view was so beautiful!
We were still quite early to check in to our next accommodation so we ended up at Karaka Point, just past Picton.
We had one rainy day when we were in Hopewell Lodge but thankfully the weather got better afterwards! We then went back to Picton town and went to Toastie Lords for an afternoon snack.
Then it was time check-in to our next accommodation which was the Escape to Picton Boutique Hotel.
Again, Max did very well choosing our accommodation during this trip. I had no idea and this boutique hotel blew our minds. Our suite was big. The bed was huge, the room had two chandeliers AND the best part was the bathroom.
The bathroom had double doors that led to a huge bath in the middle of the room. Max said the bath was the main reason he booked here. The word that came to mind when we got into this room was opulence (if you watched RuPaul’s Drag Race, you’d get the reference).
I think this hotel only has 3 suites. We had access to the balcony with a view towards the water. They also had a black kitty who we tried to befriend! For that night, we just ended up having dinner at Oxley’s Bar & Kitchen nearby and had a lovely night in our suite.
The next day, we ventured to Blenheim / Rapaura area which had a lot of vineyards. Our first stop was Makana Confections.
It’s a good thing there is no Makana in Auckland because it would be terrible for my wallet. Their chocolate is amazing especially their macadamia butter toffee crunch and macadamia shortbread. I spent $150 in that store that day. So easy to do but also so worth it.
Our next stop was St Clair Family Estate Vineyard. They had a cute little art gallery and shop which we went to before our booking. We shared a platter and wine for a late lunch. We were there for a while and it was a lovely winery afternoon. We liked this vineyard restaurant as it was not too fancy/pretentous and it was more chill and relaxed.
Then we went to Forest Wines which had Boom Town Brewing Co. I had a wine and Max tried their beers. It was such a lovely place too. We had a great afternoon.
We weren’t too hungry after our afternoon vineyard lunch but we knew we couldn’t go to sleep without grabbing some food so we just walked downstairs to the wine bar of our accommodation. Escape to Picton Boutique Hotel also has a small restaurant and wine bar downstairs. Super handy!
The next day was an exciting one. We ended up booking a scenic flight through Pelorus Air. We were deciding between a boat cruise or a scenic flights and I always prefer a flight! No regrets with this decision.
We’ve done scenic flights before and I love them. Getting in a small plane does not give me any anxiety at all compared to being on a boat. It was just us too so it was a private flight over the Marlborough Sounds.
I cannot recommend this enough. This was an amazing way to see Marlborough Sounds. We also had such good weather. It started super foggy in the morning so I was worried it would be cancelled but the sky cleared up. It was a beautiful day in the end.
We did the Water and Wildnerness flight and my favourite part was halfway through it, we landed in a remote beach within the Marlborough Sounds. We had around 20mins to enjoy the empty beach, walk along it and just admire nature.
Max and I were stunned at this place. It was actually where our pilot grew up. His parents own the property where we landed. His parents house is hidden behind the trees so while he catches up with them over a cup of tea, Max and I were left to explore or chill by the beach. That’s where a new life goal was unlocked for us. We would love to have a place like this (Max did look at property listings that night lol). You’ve got the beach, the bush behind where we could hear a waterfall and we can wake up to that view. It’s such a dream to have a remote place to escape. We were in awe.
We had a whole beach to ourselves!
This scenic flight was utterly amazing. Marlborough Sounds is one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to in Aotearoa/NZ. There are so many coves and bays and places that are unreachable over car or boat.
We also flew over Hopewell Lodge (marked red). Honestly, this scenic flight was so worth it. I highly recommend it if you’re in Marlborough Sounds. It was a highlight of this trip for me.
After our scenic flight, we went back to have some lunch on our balcony and decided what we wanted to do that afternoon. Max had an idea of going for a drive to Nelson.
We stopped by Pelorus Bridge which was bouncier that I expected. The views were nice though a d there were a lot of people swimming and jumping off the rocks.
We didn’t have much time in Nelson so we didn’t get to explore it or had a good first impression of this city. We justended up checking out the Historic South Street. We saw a few kitties there then ended up at Culture Joint as apparently Nelson is known for craft beer. We then drove back to Picton.
We had a dinner reservation at Sisu that night. We had to come back because the food was unexpected and delicious. Sisu was such a surprise find in Picton.
The next day was our last. We got up, went for a walk and checked out of Escape to Picton hotel. Then it was time to head back home.
This was such a lovely trip. Even better because I got through it 2 weeks post-surgery without any issues. It was the break we needed after such a tumultuous few weeks too.
The more I explore Aotearoa, the more grateful I am that I get to call this country home. Picton and Marlborough Sounds are so beautiful. We are so incredibly lucky.
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