Marlborough Sounds – Part 1

A Marlborough Sounds Teaser

Ever since we decided to return to New Zealand and live on the road, the Marlborough Sounds was a destination that was high on my list to explore.  Previously having only dabbled in small areas, it left me wanting to see more.

The Marlborough Sounds are made up of four different Sounds – Queen Charlotte, Kenepuru, Pelorus and Mahau.  In order for us to explore the Sounds in its entirety, we decided to divide our visit into two areas.

We headed to the arm of the Sounds that included Tasman and Admiralty Bay areas.

Off the Tarseal

One of the reasons we decided on the design of our caravan is because of its ‘off-road’ capabilities so we knew that it was going to come into its own when negotiating the roading network in the Malborough Sounds.

However, just because it has airbags and heavy-duty springs,  we still need to take into account width, height, length and oncoming traffic!!  Another important factor is the weather and road surfaces.  Not so much the ruts, holes and dips, but clay and mud, especially on steep inclines and declines.

We Did Our Research

As usual, we read up on other blogs, comments and scoured social media on the Marlborough Sounds to get other travellers experiences, thoughts and opinions.

Everyone has a different view on what they think is okay, or not so okay when traversing the Marlborough Sounds.  It can differ when it comes to their driving ability, confidence, weather conditions, time of year and the type of vehicle they are driving (size, front-wheel drive, clearances etc).

We have the luxury of being able to leave our caravan parked up and take off to explore areas in our 4×4 ute, negating any worries about towing a large caravan around some of these areas.  It also means we can cover longer distances in a shorter amount of time.  This gives us a lot more choices and is one of the many reasons we decided on a caravan rather than a motorhome.

Spring Grove Stopover

We are not fans of long days on the road if we’re on our way from A to B.  Studying up on the map, we decided to break our journey from Reefton (click here for the previous blog) to Marlborough Sounds and headed for Spring Grove Reserve & Hall (NZMCA#6277).  This is located in Brightwater which is 195km from Reefton.

Plenty of space to spread out – no rush hour here!

There really isn’t much to report on Spring Grove apart from the fact that it is a great place to spend the night.  At only $3 each, it was sheltered, level and relatively quiet.  We could just hear the main road in the distance.  We were the only ones there so had the pick of the spots.  Making the most of the sun for our solar panels, we parked a little distance from the hall and settled down for the rest of the day.

Decisions, Decisions

We knew the general direction that we wanted to head to first and had a couple of options to choose from when it came to where we wanted to set up camp for a couple of nights to go exploring.

Our choices were either a CAP (charges apply property NZMCA) at Okiwi Bay or continue on to a DOC Camp which is a further 15km on at Elaine Bay.

We decided to make our final choice once we arrived at Okiwi Bay.  We weren’t sure how busy it was going to be, the parking choices or ground conditions.

Okiwi Bay

From Spring Grove Reserve to Okiwi Bay, it was 95km.  Just a nice distance to cover, and meant that we arrived at Okiwi Bay nice and early to take advantage of the rest of the day.

As soon as we pulled up outside Ross and Chris’ CAP (NZMCA#6859) we knew that it was the perfect spot for us.  Costing us $8 per night for two people, it is half the price of the DOC Camp at Elaine Bay.

Ross and Chris’ CAP right across from the boat ramp and beach

There was only one other motorhome there so we could take advantage of a prime spot, beside the road, overlooking this most magnificent bay.   

We enjoy seeing movement and activity and it was an added bonus to watch the trailer boats coming and going.  It’s always entertaining at a boat ramp and I can imagine it must be a real hive of activity in the summer months.  Some reviews of the site have said that it can get noisy with all the comings and goings but this is to be expected.  We loved the activity but it may not be for everyone.

A view of Okiwi Bay settlement (top left) and enjoying a walk along the foreshore

There is a camping ground (Okiwi Bay Holiday Park & Lodge – NZMCA#6862) which has a general store if you need any essential supplies or crave ice cream.

What’s not to love about the view from our lounge window

Exploring 

The Roads

Heading off for our day of exploring, we thought we’d get to the furthermost point and make our way back from there.  For us, on this section of the Marlborough Sounds, that point will be French Pass.

signage at Okiwi Bay

It’s 40km from Okiwi Bay, and although that doesn’t sound that far, it is slow going for a few reasons.  You soon lose the tarseal and travel along metal/clay roads for the rest of the way.  The road is narrow in places, twisty hairpin corners and steep grades.  Being winter meant that the road was muddy, slippery and boggy in some places.  Parts of the road never gets the opportunity to dry out completely so although we hadn’t had much rainfall, their condition hadn’t really improved with the dry weather. 

be prepared to get down and dirty!

Sheep and cattle roam freely over the hillsides, and cattle stops are frequent. 

Views like this make it all worthwhile

All this aside, the drive would have to be one of the most spectacular roads we’ve travelled on.  Not having the caravan on the back meant that we could concentrate more on the scenery than getting to the end in one piece.

If you are making this journey in a motorhome or towing a caravan, particularly in the summer then the road would be less challenging to navigate than when we drove it.  Many have made the journey without mishap, yet others would be reluctant to do it again. 

French Pass

Now it doesn’t get more ‘off the beaten path’ than French Pass which sits on the northernmost point of this arm of the Marlborough Sounds.

D”Urville Island lies so close to the mainland that the gap is known to have the fastest tidal flow in NZ.  When the tide changes, the current is strong enough to stun fish.

the swirling waters of French Pass

We stopped off at the walkway which led us to the French Pass Lookout.

This track is only 10 minutes long and takes you to a viewpoint of the pass.  Here the tide rushes back and forth like a river, forming a number of whirlpools.  

Walking the track to the lookout

One side of the pass is Cook Strait and on the other side is Tasman Bay.  There is a time difference of about 25 minutes which causes the water to rush through the narrowest part of the pass which is only 100 metres across.

Tragically in 2000, a group of student divers were caught in one of the whirlpools and dragged them down into one of the deepest holes (Jacob’s Hole – over 200 ft).  This rapid descent and surfacing resulted in numerous fatalities.

the beach was full of polished stones and weird rock formations!

After viewing the Pass, we continued downhill on another section of the path to a small pebble beach.  It must be popular in the summer.  You certainly wouldn’t want to venture too far out as I could still see the swirling water of the Pass.

French Pass Settlement

Just a 5-minute drive from the Lookout track is the small French Pass settlement.  In the winter it’s very quiet and exists as a fishing, farming and tourist village which has a safe swimming beach, picnic area and DOC campsite. 

One of two jetties at French Pass settlement

If you are wanting to stay at this DOC Camp (NZMCA#6853) during the summer, you would need to get in nice and early.  Bookings are essential from 1 December to 28 February and there are only 18 sites available.  It will also cost you $15 per person per night.

Very quiet in the winter months but a hive of activity in summer with trips to D’Urville Island

There was hardly a soul there when we arrived but I can imagine what it is like in the summer months.  It is the gateway to D’Urville Island so there are water taxis and vehicle and passenger ferries that depart from here.

Collinet Point Lookout

Overlooking the township and bay is the Collinet Point Lookout which is a great vantage point overlooking the village and Pass.  A statue and information board pays homage to Pelorus Jack.  

A great tribute to Pelorus Jack and a panoramic view of French Pass settlement

The Story of Pelorus Jack

Pelorus Jack was a Risso’s dolphin (uncommon in NZ) and he faithfully met ships near the entrance to Pelorus Sounds.  Records mention him as early as 1888.  He spent the next 24 years escorting vessels through the treacherous French Pass.

Constantly staying within his own patch, he never actually swam through the Pass.  He could always be seen swimming up against the ships and riding their bow waves.

His fame grew and there a law was put in place specifically to protect Pelorus Jack.  Mystery still surrounds his death.  There were many rumours about him being murdered but he more than likely died of old age.  His carcass was washed up on a nearby beach.

Beach Spotting

We started on the trek back to Okiwi Bay and base camp.  There is no other option other than following the same road.  I was keen on exploring as many side roads and beaches as possible.

When you first start studying the map, there appears to be many bays and coves to explore.  This actually isn’t the case.

Landlocked Beaches

Many of the beaches are ‘landlocked’ by private farms without any beach access.  There were a lot of signs stating ‘no beach access’ or ‘private property’.

We read some blogs about making the additional 25km drive to Bulwer.  It didn’t really spike my interest.  You drive an awful long way with not much reward at the end of it.  I understand that you can get to the beach but the extended detour needed to get there didn’t seem worth it.  We did detour as far as Cissy Bay but you can’t get to the actual beach.  There were some great views of the Mussel Farms below. Not wanting to continue, we did a u-turn and headed back to the main road to continue on our journey back.

Google maps do not recognise the road all the way to French Pass.  We didn’t bother with the extra detour to Bulwer

We did take the turnoff to Elaine Bay which was going to be our other option to park up.  The DOC campsite (NZMCA#6856) had received some good reviews.  I was a bit surprised at how small it actually is.  It was wet and quite boggy in places. We would be quite limited on where we would be able to park.  It must be ‘first in, best placed’ during the summer months.  We were quite happy with our choice to make Okiwi Bay our base camp after our visit here.

To Stay or Not to Stay? 

There was a Committee meeting held to decide on staying another night or hitting the road.  We had woken to quite a wet morning and it didn’t look like clearing any time soon.

The decision was made that we had seen all we wanted to see in this section of the Sounds.  We ‘up-sticks’ and headed to Havelock.  You will need to check out Part Two for that story and the rest of our Marlborough Sounds exploration.

Click on the link below for some spectacular highlights of the Marlborough Sounds.