{"id":1701000,"date":"2026-10-21T12:20:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T23:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quirkycampers.com\/nz\/?page_id=1701000"},"modified":"2026-10-23T12:50:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T23:50:38","slug":"campervans-for-hire-in-marlborough-blenheim-picton","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.quirkycampers.com\/nz\/campervan-hire\/campervans-for-hire-in-marlborough-blenheim-picton\/","title":{"rendered":"Campervans for hire in Marlborough – Blenheim & Picton"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A glimpse at the blue waters and lush hills in the Marlborough Sounds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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WHY START IN MARLBOROUGH<\/strong>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Endless sunshine. Wine country on one side, and a thousand hidden bays on the other.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Marlborough is where many South Island road trips begin, and for many, it’s often an unexpected highlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Picton is the gateway to the South Island. Every ferry sailing from Wellington arrives here, and the last eighty minutes of the crossing thread through stunning Marlborough Sounds, with bush-covered ridge-lines dropping straight into the emerald waters. Dolphins, seals and tiny blue penguins are regulars, with the occasional Orca too! It is one of the most memorable ferry approaches anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blenheim sits twenty minutes south, out on the Wairau Plains among the vineyards that put New Zealand wine on the map. If you enjoy a Sauvignon Blanc, there is a good chance you’ve enjoyed a bottle from this region. Mountains shelter the Wairau Valley on three sides, which is why the sun keeps shining here when the rest of the country is under cloud. It’s a short, flat, easy drive from the ferry, so it makes a gentle first leg if you’ve never driven a campervan before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collect from your van owner and get comfortable with your chosen camper. Then pick your direction: cellar doors and a cold beer, a boat ride into the Sounds, or hikes in the Richmond Range mountains, before heading west to Nelson or south along the coast towards Kaik\u014dura and Christchurch.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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A ferry from Wellington navigating the Marlborough Sounds on the way to Picton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DISTINCTIVE MARLBOROUGH DAYS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

48 hours in Marlborough: A simple plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After your personal handover, stock up in Blenheim, then pick the Marlborough experience that suits you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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01<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marlborough Wine Crop<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Taste the Wairau Valley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are dozens of cellar doors within a few kilometres of Blenheim, and the Wairau Plains are so flat and quiet that hiring bikes beats driving between them. When you’ve had your fill of Sauvignon Blanc, the region pours a serious pint too. The Moa tap room sits among the vines at 258 Jacksons Road with a sunny deck and bean bags, Dodson Street Beer Garden runs around twenty-four taps out of an 1858 malthouse, and 5Tapped on Scott Street is the place in town for a drink and some live music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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02<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A ferry from Wellington navigating the Marlborough Sounds on the way to Picton<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Get out on the Sounds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Park up in Picton and let someone else do the driving. Water taxis run out to Ship Cove\/Meretoto, where Captain Cook anchored five times in the 1770s, and to the lodges strung along Queen Charlotte Sound. Walk a single section of the 73km Queen Charlotte Track between Furneaux Lodge, Punga Cove and Lochmara Lodge, or make it a long lunch and a boat ride home. Many of these places have no road access at all, which is rather the point of them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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03<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A Bright red Grumman Ag-Cat Biplane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Biplanes, ridgelines and a stony beach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre, five minutes from Blenheim, holds Sir Peter Jackson’s Great War aircraft collection in dioramas built by Wingnut Films and W\u0113t\u0101 Workshop. It’s extraordinary even if aviation isn’t your thing. Walk off lunch on the Mt Vernon track from Redwood Street, where the golden hills look out from Cloudy Bay to Tapuae-o-Uenuku, then drive out to Rarangi, a long curve of smooth grey stones where the Wairau meets the sea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\"Marlborough<\/picture><\/span>
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Start your trip in Marlborough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Quirky Campers connects you with privately owned, handcrafted campervans based in Blenheim, twenty minutes from the ferry in Picton, and the sunniest corner of the country. Every hire includes comprehensive insurance, 24\/7 AA roadside assistance, unlimited kilometres and a personal handover from the van owner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2713 Real vans, real character<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

No depot and no anonymous fleet vehicle. Choose a one-of-a-kind campervan designed and cared for by its owner.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2713 Straight off the Picton ferry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Step off the Interislander or Bluebridge ferry and you’re on the South Island. Pick up your camper directly from the owner with all the handover details confirmed before travel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u2713 The sunniest place to set off<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Blenheim averages over 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, and in 2024 it topped the national table giving it the reputation as the sunniest spot in the country. Wake up to blue sky, roam the vineyards, the Sounds or the Richmond Ranges without kilometre limits.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Happy campers hiring in Marlborough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Independent Google reviews from people who have travelled with Quirky Campers NZ.<\/p>\n\n\n