Seddon

Seddon is a town in Marlborough (New Zealand) near the mouth of the Awatere River. Until the grape boom, Seddon's farmers struggled farming sheep on dry hills. Now you will struggle to find a sheep in amongst the vineyards. It is named after Richard John Seddon, who was Premier of New Zealand 1893-1906.

Get in

By car

Travelling north, Blenheim is 15 minutes from Seddon on State Highway 1 (SH1). Picton is a further 20 min. South of Seddon is Ward (15 min), Kaikoura (1 hr 15 min) and Christchurch (4 hr).

By bus

All Christchurch - Picton buses stop in Seddon.

By train

Main article: Rail travel in New Zealand

• Coastal Pacific (formerly TranzCoastal), ☏ +64 4 495 0775, toll-free: 0800-872467 (in country only). The service runs between Christchurch and Picton daily from October to April. It will stop in Seddon on request. 

See

• Take a drive out to the coast - there is vast swathes of grape vines as well as access to the wild shore with sweeping views up and down the coast.
• One of the few double decker bridges in the world, the top deck with rail and the bottom with road traffic has just been taken out of commission. Just north of Seddon on SH1. It was opened to traffic in 1902; the rail portion remains now that the new road bridge is completed. The old roadway has been removed.

Do

• Molesworth Tour Company, ☏ +64 3 577 9897, fax: +64 3 577 9895, info@molesworthtours.co.nz. A backcountry experience. 
• Awatere Golf Club, State Highway 1, ☏ +64 3 575 7072. 

Eat

• 1 Cosy Corner Cafe and Bar, State Highway 1, ☏ +64 3 575 7285, fax: +64 3 575 7085. Makes their own pies – 18 varieties, with the scallop pie being popular. Opens very early in the morning. At peak grape harvesting time (around Mar–Apr), open 24/7. 

Drink

The only place for a drink is the Cosy Corner Cafe and Bar.

Sleep

• Awatere Motor Camp, Seymour Street, Seddon Domain (keys and payment at Cosy Corner Café), ☏ +64 3 575 7285, awaterecom@xtra.co.nz. From $10. 

Go next

• For those sick of travelling on SH1, the Acheron Road through the Molesworth Station is as remote as you can get in a two-wheel drive car. The station is the largest farm in New Zealand - a vast tract of inland farming country and a back-country link between Seddon and Hanmer Springs. The road is generally open to the public from 07:00 on the Saturday before the Labour Day holiday (the fourth Monday of October) until 7PM on Easter Monday, 7AM-7PM (but may be closed at any time due to weather, fire risk or road conditions). The turnoff is on the straight north of Seddon and is well sign-posted. No fuel or shop until Hanmer Springs in 197 km. Unlike the 4WD track that runs to the west from Rainbow, no toll is payable.

Routes through Seddon

Picton ← Blenheim ←

N  S

→ Ward → Kaikoura