Ship Cove / Meretoto
Meretoto / Ship Cove
A historic bay where Captain Cook anchored five times, with a Cook memorial, and the starting point of the Queen Charlotte Track.
Between 1770 and 1777, Captain Cook stopped here five times to resupply and rest, his longest stay anywhere in New Zealand. The bay has a Cook memorial, and a short track through native forest leads to a small waterfall; weka are often seen along the way. There are no roads to the cove, so visitors reach it by boat or water taxi from Picton (about 1 hour). Trips usually combine it with a stop at Motuara Island, and it is also the start of the Queen Charlotte Track.
Opening hours
Open all day (reached by boat)
Nearby sights
- Queen Charlotte Track
- Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary
- Marlborough Sounds
- The Snout Track
- Edwin Fox Maritime Museum
- Picton
- Pukatea / Whites Bay
- Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere