The location of the Portage Resort Hotel has a very long history. Portage is the word for carrying boats and supplies over land between water and the European history of the area started with Captain James Cook’s visit to the sounds in the 1770s. Both Captain Cook and the French explorer D’Urville mentioned The Portage in their original records of the area and listed the Torea Saddle on their maps “as a place of Portage advised by the natives”. The Marlborough Sounds have always been a favourite and extensively travelled spot long before the first European settlers. The white settlement at The Portage started around 1850 when the Gullery family settled at Portage Bay in Kenepuru Sound to build their farm. Because of its good location, from day one the Gullery family hosted travellers who were on their way through the Sounds. In 2000 the Portage was bought by New Zealander Dain Simpson and his partner Alison Evans. Dain holidayed at the Portage when he was four years old and never forgot this magical place.
Base yourself at The Portage and easily experience the best Marlborough has to offer. The resort is ideal for a two night stay to enjoy winery tours in and around Blenheim and Picton, cruising the Marlborough Sounds, walking New Zealand’s famous Queen Charlotte Track, wildlife eco-tours, or sea kayaking, fishing, and sailing on Kenepuru Sound. Located a short ten minutes walk from the acclaimed Queen Charlotte Track, The Portage Resort Hotel offers a selection of accommodations from spa suites with sitting areas, rooms with large decks and beautiful views, to family rooms, or its separate Walker’s Lodge budget backpacker accommodation.
The Resort’s central location in Marlborough makes it easy to reach from all over New Zealand. Access is easy—its only fifteen minutes from Picton by boat or 1.25 hours by road. Blenheim Airport has multiple flights from the major cities of Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, every day.
Every day is different at The Portage and so are the rooms. The magical views move from warm and sparkling, quiet and still, to hills reflecting in the deep green water, misty and moody.
 Spacious Hotel Rooms |
 Great Views |
There are fourty-one hotel rooms which can accommodate up to ninety-six people. All hotel rooms have en-suites, super king or California king beds, TV, tea & coffee making facilities, and telephones. The backpacker-styled accommodations at Walker’s Lodge includes eight rooms, with twnety bunk beds, shared bathrooms, and kitchen facilities. All guests can enjoy the outdoor swimming pool and indoor spa.
The Portage Resort Hotel is the most convenient accommodations to explore the magic of the Marlborough Sounds on the south island of New Zealand.
