{"id":84,"date":"2013-06-25T08:18:45","date_gmt":"2013-06-25T08:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/"},"modified":"2022-08-08T23:18:28","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T23:18:28","slug":"a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/","title":{"rendered":"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue hue of the sky and the tranquility of hidden bays are what I remember most about my first kayak trip in New Zealand.<\/p>\n

The Marlborough Sounds, located in the north of New Zealand\u2019s South Island, is an intricate maze of islands, coves and waterways created when the seas flooded the valleys after the ice age. With over 1500km of coastline to explore, it doesn’t take long to feel like you\u2019ve escaped civilisation and found your own piece of paradise. Expedia\u2019s travellers have figured that out, flocking to the major bases of Picton, Nelson and Blenheim for a holiday.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re travelling from the North Island, Air New Zealand flies straight into Blenheim from Wellington or there\u2019s a car and passenger ferry service to Picton that leaves from Wellington too. If you\u2019re already on the South Island, there are bus services from places like Nelson or Christchurch or try the scenic TranzCoastal train from Christchurch (October – April only).<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve made it there, it\u2019s time to hit the water. Plenty of companies offer kayak rental and guided trips. You can head out for three hours, or three days. Guided trips are a terrific option if you\u2019re not an experienced kayaker or you\u2019re after local insights to the diverse landscape and wildlife along the way…<\/p>\n

As a general rule children must be aged 12 or over to join a guided trip (in a double kayak with an adult), but if your kids are younger than this and you think they\u2019re capable, you might be able to arrange a private family guided tour. The best thing to do is contact a few companies to discuss your needs. The great thing about having kids in a double kayak is they can rest when they need to without the entire group having to stop.<\/p>\n

 
\n
\nOn an independent trip (children must be at least 14) you\u2019ll need sufficient outdoor paddling experience. Companies will test you on your paddling skills and take you through a comprehensive safety session before allowing you to paddle on your own. Check with the company in advance if you\u2019re unsure you\u2019re up to an independent trip.<\/p>\n

If you want to get away from it all without having to paddle for too long, try the western end of the Queen Charlotte Sound (Grove Arm) \u2013 set out from places such as Ngakuta Bay or Anakiwa. Within a short paddle you\u2019re paddling through beautiful bush and particularly sheltered bays.<\/p>\n

Whether you choose a guided or independent trip, leave time for a walk on the Queen Charlotte track. The 71km track offers stunning views, diverse landscape and plenty of native bush and wildlife. There\u2019s sections of the track to suit all fitness levels, for walkers and mountain bike riders.<\/p>\n

In each town there\u2019s plenty of accommodation options. At the\u00a0Rutherford Hotel Nelson<\/a>, children under 13 stay free when they\u2019re in the same room as adults and you\u2019re close to the Queens Gardens and Nelson Market.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re after something more secluded, check out\u00a0Peppers Portage<\/a>. The hotel sits right along the Queen Charlotte Cycle Track for any bike riders out there and has its own boat launch onto Portage Bay. There\u2019s even kayak rental on site.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a different way of seeing the Marlborough Sounds, grab a paddle and get out on the water.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6,2,3,14,7],"tags":[11,126,127],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-84","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adventure","category-destination","category-experiences","category-explore","category-interests","category-oceania","tag-family","tag-kayak","tag-marlborough-sounds","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nA Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds - Expedia AU Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds - Expedia AU Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia AU Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-06-25T08:18:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-08-08T23:18:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/images.trvl-media.com\/media\/content\/expaus\/images\/blog-img\/6_2013\/2118_11_HT\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie McNeely\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/\",\"name\":\"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds - Expedia AU Stories\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2013-06-25T08:18:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-08-08T23:18:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce\"},\"description\":\"The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Interests\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/interests\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Adventure\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/interests\/adventure\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia AU Stories\",\"description\":\"Just another WordPress site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce\",\"name\":\"Jamie McNeely\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jamie McNeely\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds - Expedia AU Stories","description":"The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds - Expedia AU Stories","og_description":"The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/","og_site_name":"Expedia AU Stories","article_published_time":"2013-06-25T08:18:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2022-08-08T23:18:28+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/images.trvl-media.com\/media\/content\/expaus\/images\/blog-img\/6_2013\/2118_11_HT"}],"author":"Jamie McNeely","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jamie McNeely","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/","name":"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds - Expedia AU Stories","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website"},"datePublished":"2013-06-25T08:18:45+00:00","dateModified":"2022-08-08T23:18:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce"},"description":"The sound of my paddle hitting the water, the bright blue sky and the beauty of hidden bays are what I remember most about kayaking in New Zealand.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/a-paddle-in-the-marlborough-sounds\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Interests","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/interests\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Adventure","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/interests\/adventure\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"A Paddle in the Marlborough Sounds"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/","name":"Expedia AU Stories","description":"Just another WordPress site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/7c3ff1d241163ecf78de48671f1787ce","name":"Jamie McNeely","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/c6c5fcb9612549bc286e9121c24dc652?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jamie McNeely"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.waveinteractive.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/author\/jamie-mcneely\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1191,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84\/revisions\/1191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com.au\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=84"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}