Kenepuru Sound is one of the larger of the

Marlborough Sounds The Marlborough Sounds (Māori language, te reo Māori: ''Te Tauihu-o-te-Waka'') are an extensive network of ria, sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination ...

in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

of New Zealand. The drowned valley is an arm of

Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere Pelorus Sound (; officially Pelorus Sound / Te Hoiere) is the largest of the sounds which make up the Marlborough Sounds at the north of the South Island, New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds is a system of drowned river valleys, which were f ...

, it runs for from the northeast to southwest, joining Pelorus Sound a quarter of the way down the latter's path to the

Cook Strait Cook Strait () is a strait that separates the North Island, North and South Islands of New Zealand. The strait connects the Tasman Sea on the northwest with the South Pacific Ocean on the southeast. It is wide at its narrowest point,McLintock, ...

. Queen Charlotte Sound, the largest sound in

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

, lies to the southeast, parallel to Kenepuru Sound. Some of the small side arms of the two sounds are only hundreds of metres apart, at Te Mahia Bay and Portage Bay, but are separated by a steep serrated range of hills. Not surprisingly, one of the settlements on this stretch of coast is called Portage, named for the simplest method of passing between the two sounds.

Queen Charlotte Track The Queen Charlotte Track is a long New Zealand walking track between Queen Charlotte Sound (New Zealand), Queen Charlotte Sound and Kenepuru Sound in the Marlborough Sounds. It extends from Meretoto / Ship Cove in the north to Anakiwa in the s ...

runs along the ridge of hills between Kenepuru Sound and Queen Charlotte Sound. Early road development linking Picton with Kenepuru contributed to Kenepuru Sound being used as a holiday destination. Resorts and holiday houses are dotted along the coast and at Te Mahia Bay and Portage Bay. A sealed, but windy, narrow road leads along the southern shore of Kenepuru Sound all the way to Kenepuru Head. From there, unsealed roads continue further and along the less populated northern shore.

References

Landforms of the Marlborough District Sounds of the Marlborough Sounds {{Marlborough-geo-stub