Driving from Christchurch to Marlborough: What to See and Do

The road trip part of our New Zealand adventure began in Christchurch. We’d already picked up our super comfy and spacious Mitsubishi Outlander from the Europcar desk at Christchurch airport when we arrived a few days previous. So we hit the road early to make the most of our day driving from Christchurch to Marlborough.

For more on what to see and do in Christchurch you can check out my Christchurch 2 or 3 day itinerary,  The Best Christchurch Sightseeing Tours. The Best Day Trips from Christchurch, Things to Do in Christchurch or this post about Spring Time in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens.

I decided before leaving home not to plan our driving days too much, leaving us plenty of time to make lots of unexpected stops along the way. We had a full day to make the drive, which driven straight without stopping should only take around four hours.

We switched on our driving companion for the trip, Tourism Radio. As we drove out of Christchurch we happily listened to the facts, and highlights of the city we’d just spent 3 days exploring with some of our closest friends.

Tourism Radio is a simple device that uses radio frequency and GPS coordinates to bring you useful and interesting facts and information about the places you are driving through. It tells you how to find the best places to stop, from cafes with great coffee to scenic lookouts to quirky off the beaten path attractions. In between these tidbits of information the ‘radio’ plays music selected by the friendly folks at Tourism Radio. It’s easy listening with nothing offensive and plenty of variety.

North of Christchurch

Once you’ve left Christchurch behind the road north begins long and straight with stunning mountains, some snow capped, on the horizon. We passed farm after farm full of cattle and sheep, some still with their woolly winter coats and others freshly shawn ready for summer.

First stop for us was a short morning walk on the beach at Waikuku. The beach is littered with drift wood, with pieces big and small that have made the journey across the South Pacific Ocean from South America.

Back in the car and it’s not long before Tourism Radio is telling us to stop in the town of Amberley for some of the best coffee on the coast. Nor’wester Cafe is on the highway and is housed in a converted cottage with front sun terrace surrounded by fragrant lavender. Mick really enjoyed his strong flat white while I indulged in a hot chocolate which was divine.

With Mick, the driver on this trip, caffeinated, we continued our drive north listening to Tourism Radio tell us about lots of interesting places to stop. While we didn’t choose to take every turn off or stop, the ones we did choose were well worth to detour.

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Gore Bay

We decide to take the 20km loop road out to Gore Bay for more beautiful beaches and to see the Cathedral Cliffs. The road is winding and hilly surrounded by more farms and the odd farm house. It’s simply stunning countryside.

The final descent into Gore Bay winds down to sea level on the way passing the Cathedral Cliffs. The lookout point isn’t clearly marked so if your doing this drive yourself keep your eyes peeled for the sign. I’ve since been told that the best time of day to view the Cathedral Cliffs is just after lunch when they are bathed in full sun.  Nevertheless they are still impressive in half sun.

The tiny township of Gore Bay is home to mostly holiday homes with few permanent residents. Its just a stones throw from the road and holiday homes to the beach. We found a sunny picnic table by the water and sat and enjoyed a morning snack and drink before a short walk along the beach.

The loop road brings you back out on the main highway north at Cheviot, a small farming town.

Kaikoura Coast

From here the highway makes it way back to the coast and the drive into Kaikoura is quite simply breathtaking. There are lots of safe places you can pull over on the side of the road to enjoy the view and take a few photos.

When we arrived in Kaikoura, the first thing Tourism Radio tells us to do is head to Peninsula Lookout. I’ve seen pictures of the view from this lookout, it’s that iconic image of the turquoise water in the foreground and snow capped mountains in the background.

Seeing images previously didn’t quite prepare me for that moment our car pulled into a parking spot. I was so taken aback I may have shed a little tear (ok, maybe a few). I can’t find the words to truly do the view justice. Even my photos don’t quite fully capture the moment and incredible view for me.

After pulling myself together we realised it was lunch time and we were hungry. I’d done a little research about places to eat in Kaikoura which is an area known for its delicious crayfish. So we took the short drive down from the lookout to the World Famous Kaikoura Seafood BBQ.

It’s located in a small caravan on the side of the road that leads to the Fyfe Quay Seal Colony. You pick your fresh Cray from a cooler box and pay based on the weight. We got one whole Crayfish to share between the two  of us for just NZ$40.00 which comes with garlic bread, salad and rice. There are a few tables and chairs to sit and enjoy your meal too. It’s a popular place and we were lucky enough to get our order in and find a seat before another half dozen cars arrived.

When the Cray was brought to our table it looks delicious and beautifully presented. Sticking my fork into the soft flesh I found the meat easily pulling away from the shell. Perfect! The first bite was to die for, sweet and juicy with a slight taste of the ocean further cementing it’s freshness.

We finished demolishing our lunch and continued on the road to the Fyffe Quay Seal Colony. The road between the main town and the seal colony hugs the coast and is lined by a boardwalk which is part of the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway. The section of walkway from the town centre to the Point Kean carpark where you can view the seals is an easy 4.5km walk on mostly flat boardwalk. Because of our limited time we chose to drive rather than walk.

As soon as our car pulls into the carpark at Point Keen I’ve already spotted a few seals lazily hanging around on the rocks. There’s a few other cars with people inquisitively watching the seals but for the most part it is quiet.

The first thing you will notice is the big signs warning you to stay at least 10 metres from the seals and rightly so. This is their personal space, and where they come to breed and raise their pups. It is ok to wander out from the carpark over the rocks so long as you maintain that distance for the protection of the seals and also for yourself as seals, especially the larger males, are unpredictable creatures.

We stayed mostly in the elevated carpark which gave us the perfect spot for viewing the seals lazing about and coming to shore from the the water. One seal waddled his/her way up to the edge of the carpark and enjoyed showing off to the camera for a while before slinking off into the water again. Its a pretty humbling experience enjoying the company of these interesting creatures.

North of Kaikoura

We bid a very sad goodbye to Kaikoura with the intention that we’d be back someday to experience this incredible part of the world in my depth, and headed north.

The highway continues to hug the coast with spectacular views of the ocean and shear cliff faces looming over the road. Its not long before Tourism Radio is telling us to pull over again making a stop at the Ohau Stream Walkway and Falls. This spot is famous for its frolicking seal pups.

It’s a short easy walk on a track that runs by the river (keep your eye out for stray pups) and takes you to a simple waterfall where we found about half a dozen seal pups jumping in and out of the water, diving under the waterfall and inquisitively peeking out of the water to check us out.

The seal pups are born usually around November and December and make their way up the Ohau stream to the waterfall pool around mid April.  They enjoy the next six months or so hanging out in the waterfall and stream with their mothers occasionally making their way up stream with food for them.  Once winter ends and the pups have grown more confident they make their way to the sea to learn to survive on their own.

Back in the car and continuing along the coast we decide its time for afternoon tea and Mick is in need of a coffee. Tourism Radio again has a great recommendation for us to stop at The Store at Kekerengu. This Kaikoura Coast icon has stunning ocean views and a menu full of local produce. We were there for something sweet and chose a delicious muffin and hot drinks to enjoy on the outdoor terrace in the sun.

Arriving in Marlborough

From the there the road starts to head inland so we say farewell for now to the Kaikoura Coast and its onwards to the Marlborough region. The scenery turns to rolling hills, farms and as we near Blenheim, vineyards.

Our base for the next three nights is the tiny town of Picton right on the Marlborough Sound. The drive from Blenheim to Picton is stunning with the road winding and cutting through a forested mountain range.

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Disclaimer: Thank you to Tourism Radio for providing me with the navigation and entertainment for this trip. As always, all opinions expressed in this post are my own.

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Over to you!

What would you most like to see and do on the road driving from Christchurch to Marlborough?

Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post.