They were exhausted next day. But I do agree with zhuhai that to stay a couple of night in the queen charlotte sound would be recommended - lochmara lodge, punga cove, furneaux resort are all in fantastic locations. Kia Ora. Alternatively, you can take the Inland route that travels through St Arnaud and Murchison if travelling to Kaikōura from the North. Bus Kaikoura to Picton: 2 hours 10 minutes. Not realistically. The Coastal Pacific isn't just a scenic activity, combined with the Interislander Ferry it is the perfect way to connect between Wellington, Blenheim, Kaikoura and Christchurch. Not realistically. Bus Nelson to Picton: 2 hours 10 minutes. You can also find the distance from Kaikoura to Picton using other travel options like bus, subway, tram, train and rail. Bus Havelock to Picton: 1 hour 5 minutes. Friends came back from the NI a few days ago & took 7 hours from Picton to Chch. Picton Tourism: Tripadvisor has 24,716 reviews of Picton Hotels, Attractions, and Restaurants making it your best Picton resource. Bus Blenheim to Picton: 30 minutes. Though it takes an estimated 6.5 hours, is a beautiful scenic drive and well worth the trip. It would be at least 6 hr to Kaikoura.When you come off the ferry you have an additional problem that up to 600 vehicles get off at the same time as you and these days are all basically heading for the same narrow road. They were exhausted next day. Bus Christchurch to Picton: 5 hours 15 minutes. Located in the Marlborough region on the north-east corner of the South Island is the picturesque coastal town Picton. The picturesque seaside town of Picton is the South Island base for the ferry service that links the main islands of New Zealand and the heart of the Marlborough Sounds.. The Coastal Pacific runs once daily taking just over 5 hours from the Christchurch Railway Station to Picton. The distance between Kaikoura to Picton is 156 Km by road. Built around a very sheltered harbour, the town has an attractive seafront dotted with cafés, restaurants, various types of galleries. State Highway 1 from Picton to Kaikoura is currently closed since the November 2016 earthquake and is scheduled to re-open in December 2017. I think 4 nights in either Picton or Kaikoura is too many. The earthquake started at about 15 kilometres (9 mi) north-east of … About Picton. Apart from the trip distance, refer Directions from Kaikoura to Picton for road driving directions! It would be at least 6 hr to Kaikoura.When you come off the ferry you have an additional problem that up to 600 vehicles get off at the same time as you and these days are all basically heading for the same narrow road. Friends came back from the NI a few days ago & took 7 hours from Picton to Chch. Ruptures occurred on multiple faults and the earthquake has been described as the "most complex earthquake ever studied".. The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake was a magnitude 7.8 (M w) earthquake in the South Island of New Zealand that occurred two minutes after midnight on 14 November 2016 NZDT (11:02 on 13 November UTC).