Kenepuru Head: Nature at the head of Kenepuru Sound

Kenepuru Head lies at the head of Kenepuru Sound. The large, open, grassy campsite gives the place a distinctly natural character. Water, tracks and forest shape the options for a stay: you can go boating and fishing on the Sound, and walk at Kenepuru Head. When choosing a holiday home or apartment for your trip, you can decide whether waterside scenery, walks or a stay surrounded by greenery should be your priority.

Campsite and a stay surrounded by greenery

Kenepuru Head Campsite has a toilet block, cold-water showers and a cooking shelter. There are no waste disposal facilities, so all rubbish must be taken with you when you leave. This is an important consideration when preparing for your stay: plan to take your waste away with you rather than assuming there will be somewhere to dispose of it on site.

A Campsite Pass must be booked online before occupying a campsite. If staff are on site, you can also book with the campsite staff. A NZ$10 service fee applies. Without a booking, sites may not be available. This requirement applies to sites at the campsite, so it is especially important if this is the type of overnight stay you choose.

Another option is Ngahere Hou at Kenepuru Head, which offers glamping in a 6 m yurt or a Summerhouse cabin. Ngahere Hou also offers transfers from Torea Bay. If you are considering a distinctive type of accommodation rather than a campsite, you can include these options when choosing where to stay.

Sound, forest and tracks

The bay at Kenepuru Head is tidal. Forest is also part of the landscape: Ngahere Hou encompasses 16.2 hectares of regenerating native forest at the head of Kenepuru Sound. Ngahere Hou is directly accessible on foot from the midpoint of the Queen Charlotte Track. This means that waterside scenery and direct access to a forest area are both available at the same location, offering different ways to enjoy your stay.

Kenepuru Head offers opportunities for boating and fishing on Kenepuru Sound, as well as walking. The nearby Queen Charlotte Track also has opportunities for mountain biking. If you are interested in a walk to a summit, the wider travel region includes the Mt Stokes Track, which follows a ridge in Kenepuru Sound to a summit 1,203 m high. These options offer different kinds of activities, from those on the water to tracks and a ridge route.

Getting there and launching a boat

To reach Kenepuru Head Campsite, turn off Queen Charlotte Drive at Linkwater onto Kenepuru Road and follow it for 40 km to Kenepuru Head. The road is sealed, narrow and winding. Kenepuru Head is approximately 1.5 hours from Picton or Havelock. In the wider Pelorus Sound/Te Hoiere and Kenepuru Sound travel region, you can arrive by boat or via State Highway 6 at Rai Valley or Linkwater.

If you are coming from Portage, the nearest boat launch is at Sandy Bay, 2.5 km before the camp. This information helps distinguish arriving by boat from travelling to the campsite: the boat launch is not at the camp itself, but at Sandy Bay.

Discover more places

Other place pages in the same wider travel region: Havelock, Grovetown, Te Rawa, Picton, Portage, St Omer, Renwick and Rai Valley.

For the wider travel overview: Marlborough District.