Havelock is situated 43km from Blenheim and at the junction between the highly scenic Queen Charlotte Drive to Picton and the main highway to Nelson.
Gateway to the pleasures of the Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds, the historic, seaside town of Havelock was once a thriving gold-mining town.

Maori canoes first breasted these waters 1000 years ago. In 1642 Abel Tasman sailed past d'Urville Island, French and Russian explorers followed and in the 1770s Captain James Cook arrived. Havelock was founded as a result of the gold rushes in the nineteenth century at Linkwater, Cullensville and the Wakamarina valley. The town grew from nothing to having 23 hotels and thriving port in a matter of months. Milling of native timber in the nearby Kaituna and Pelorus valleys again increased the activity in Havelock from where logs were exported to Australia and the rest of New Zealand.

Named after Sir Henry Havelock a famous British general in the Indian Mutiny, Havelock has seen its share of famous people. Both Ernest Rutherford, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908 (www.rutherford.org.nz) and Bill Pickering, who headed the USA's un-manned space exploration from 1954-1976, attended Havelock School.

Havelock today is very much changed. Tourism and mussel farming are the principal areas of importance in the economy. A fish and mussel processing unit has been set up to service the local farmers as well as facilities for the many tour operators and "boaties". Only a few hotels remain but new shops catering for the townspeople and visitors alike have been set up. Havelock is recognised as the "Greenshell Mussel Capital of the World".
Inside the quaint colonial buildings of main street Havelock you’ll find boutique art and craft galleries, cafes, and fine food establishments. You’ll also find a good range of accommodation options, which makes Havelock an ideal base from which to explore further afield.