At the Head of Pelorus Sound
Havelock lies at the junction of the Pelorus/Te Hoiere River and the Kaituna River, serving as a gateway to the Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere. The town sits below 721-metre Mount Takorika, a prominent backdrop that rises steeply behind the settlement.
The town promotes itself as the “Greenshell Mussel Capital of the World”, and there is an amusing sign and statue of a personified mussel as you enter the town centre. Small personified mussels are also scattered around, especially at the famous Musselpot restaurant.
From Gold Rush Boomtown to Mussel Capital
The area was originally known to Māori as Motuweka, and it was the site of a pā at the crossroads of inland and coastal routes. Europeans first arrived in nearby Nelson in 1841, but settlement up the Pelorus Valley intensified in 1864 when gold was discovered in the Wakamarina Valley. When the gold rush waned, timber milling in nearby Pelorus and Kaituna valleys sustained the town, with logs shipped from Havelock’s port.
In the twentieth century, aquaculture emerged as a significant industry, and Havelock became the centre of green-lipped mussel farming and processing, which are unique to New Zealand and larger than the blue mussels found elsewhere. There is a Mussel Festival in March.
The town is also remembered as the early home of two prominent scientists, Ernest Rutherford, who first split the atom, and William Pickering, a rocket scientist. Both spent part of their youth in Havelock before achieving international recognition. There is a monument to the two men in the town centre.
What to See and Do
The Havelock Museum, housed in the former Methodist church, explores the history of the district, including the gold rush, sawmilling, and the growth of the mussel industry. The town centre has a collection of cafés, galleries, and historic buildings.
There is also a substantial marina east of the town centre, from where you can take charters or water taxis into Pelorus Sound, or join the Pelorus Mail Boat that services remote communities along the Sound. Across the estuary, there is a fabulous viewpoint at the Cullen Point Scenic Reserve, with views over the Sound, while Mount Takorika has tracks and waterfalls to explore.
Getting There
Havelock is about 43 km northwest of Blenheim via State Highway 6, and 35 km from Picton by way of the spectacular Queen Charlotte Drive, both about 40-minute drives.
If you continue west to Canvastown, you can access the Wakamarina Valley and historic gold country, right into the Richmond Ranges. Continuing a bit further along the Pelorus Valley takes you to the tracks and scenic forest of Pelorus Bridge.
