Marlborough: wine country at the top of the South Island
Marlborough is where most visitors first set foot on the South Island, stepping off the ferry at Picton into drowned river valleys, sheltered bays and the vineyards that made New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc famous.
What it's known for
- Sauvignon Blanc and the Wairau Valley wineries
- The Marlborough Sounds and their maze of waterways
- Picton as the South Island ferry gateway
- Blenheim as the region's wine base
- The Queen Charlotte Track and coastal walking
- Seafood, especially green-lipped mussels
Getting around
- Picton connects to Wellington by ferry; Blenheim has a regional airport
- The Sounds roads are narrow, winding and slow — beautiful, but not quick
- Wineries are spread across the valley rather than clustered
- A private driver is the sensible answer to a day of tasting
Marlborough's wineries are close together by New Zealand standards but still too spread out to walk, and tasting rooms and driving are a poor combination. A private driver is the standard way visitors do a wine day here, and the reason we run so many of them.
The Sounds are the other half of the region and a completely different landscape — steep, green and quiet, on roads that take real time. It is worth allowing a day rather than squeezing it around a ferry sailing.
If you're arriving or leaving by ferry, we plan transfers around the check-in cut-off rather than the sailing time, which is where most visitors come unstuck.
Towns and cities we drive in Marlborough
Travelling it without a rental car
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers runs private vehicles with local drivers right across New Zealand — single transfers, full touring days, or a driver who stays with you for the whole trip. You get a fixed price agreed before you travel, no left-hand-side driving to learn, and someone who knows the roads and the weather.
Common questions
Keep exploring
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
Explore private travelArriving in New Zealand
First-time visitor guides to landing at Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin.
Read the arrival guidesIsland & region guides
What each part of New Zealand is known for, how long the drives really take, and how to travel it without a rental car.
Explore destinationsVisiting New Zealand
Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
Read visitor infoAirport shuttle alternative
Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
Compare the optionsCity taxi, upgraded
A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
See your citySuburb airport transfers
Local detail on the run to Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington Airport from your own suburb.
Find your suburbPrivate day tours & sightseeing
Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
See private toursBy-the-hour driver hire
A driver and vehicle held for a block of time — best when your travel starts and finishes in the same town.
Book hourly hireAirport transfers
Flight-tracked pickups and drop-offs at every main New Zealand airport, door to door.
Airport transfersCruise port transfers & shore days
Met at the terminal in Auckland, Tauranga, Akaroa or Picton — back on board well before all-aboard time.
Cruise transfersSki field transfers
Winter-ready vehicles and alpine drivers for Queenstown, Wānaka, Mt Hutt and Ruapehu — gear included.
Ski transfersCorporate & executive travel
Business accounts, client and staff runs, event movements and consolidated invoicing.
Talk to usGroups, fleets & rental car alternative
Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
Rental car alternativeWhat transfers and taxis cost
Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
Fares & costsWeddings, balls & big occasions
Private transport for weddings, school balls, corporate events, funerals, large groups and accessible travel.
Occasion transportConcerts & event transport
Ride there and ride home for the big nights — concerts, festivals and events across New Zealand.
Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.