Plan Your Visit

Discover essential details for your trip, including tickets, hours, activities, and accessibility options.

Currently there is no access to the ship.

We're moving to the next preservation phase, so the ship isn't accessible, but you can still view it in the dry dock.

What to Expect

Your visit to the Edwin Fox will be a memorable journey into maritime history.

From easy ticketing and clear signage to engaging exhibits and beautiful harbour views, everything is designed to ensure an enjoyable and informative experience.

Most visitors spend around an hour exploring the ship and displays, learning about her incredible global voyages and capturing great photos along the way.

For more information on our location, facilities, group bookings, and activities, see the details below.

If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch—we’re happy to help.

We look forward to your visit!

Location

The Edwin Fox Maritime Museum is centrally located on the waterfront in Picton, heart of the Marlborough Sounds. You can get to Picton by road, by inter-island ferry, by plane to Picton or Blenheim Airport or by train. The ship and museum are a few minutes’ walk from the town centre.

Edwin Fox Maritime Museum
Dunbar Wharf, Picton Foreshore
1 Auckland Street, Picton
Marlborough, NZ.

Email: edwin.fox@marlborough.govt.nz
Phone: 03 573 6868

Facilities & Accessibility

Explore engaging exhibits inside the museum, then step outside to see the Edwin Fox up close in her custom-built dry dock which holds the remnants of the ship.

The museum displays are located on the second story of the main building so are not wheelchair accessible.

It is possible for those with limited mobility to get alongside the ship – please ask at reception for assistance.

Group Bookings

Groups are welcome however prebooking is essential. We can include morning or afternoon tea as part of a group booking package.

Guided tours are also available. These involve having your own knowledgeable tour guide who will lead you through the fascinating history of the Edwin Fox. You can ask questions and learn more about the people who sailed on the ship and its endeavours.

Please email edwin.fox@marlborough.govt.nz or phone to book.

Activities

The Edwin Fox Maritime Museums offers fun activities for all ages. There is a play area available for children and they can even dress up as captain or a pirate.

The Edwin Fox Maritime Museum provides a great all-weather experience with something of interest for everyone.

Opening Hours

The Edwin Fox Maritime Museum is open every day from 9am (except Christmas Day).

Allow at least one hour to fully enjoy the views of the ship and to visit the museum.

Don't forget your camera!

Ticket Pricing

Our ticket pricing below is in NZD and is priced per person.

Adult

(

ages 15 and over

)

$15

Kids

(

ages 5 to 14 years

)

Kids Under 5

(

)

FREE

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What's On

The Latest Happenings at The Edwin Fox

From special tours and school holiday activities to behind-the-scenes restoration updates, there’s always something exciting happening at The Edwin Fox.

View All

Edwin Fox Museum Pirate School

9 Oct

07 Nov 2025

09 Oct 2025

Pirate school is open for the Easter school holidays! Bring your little pirate in for some 'piratey' fun ARRRHH.

Edwin Fox Museum presents 'A night with Convicts!'

16 Sep

16 Sep 2025

From pick pockets to famous train robbers the convicts were an interesting bunch. We are learning more and more about their crimes and indeed what happened to them after they were released in Western Australia.

Timber & Technique: Shipbuilding of 1853

3 Sep

05 Sep 2025

03 Sep 2025

Celebrate the craftsmanship behind the Edwin Fox’s teak hull, one of the most intact examples of mid-19th-century ship construction.

Edwin Fox Museum Gold Coin Day

11 Jul

11 Jul 2025

In celebration of World Museum Day and Marborough Heritage Festival we are holding a gold coin donation day.

Refrigeration Revolution

3 Jul

03 Jul 2025

Discover how the Edwin Fox’s 1885 conversion into a floating freezer reshaped global food trade and powered New Zealand’s economy.

Convict Life Unveiled

10 Jun

18 Jun 2025

10 Jun 2025

Step back in time and explore the harsh realities and personal stories of the convicts who sailed aboard the Edwin Fox.

Testimonial

Excellent price for what's on offer. I loved the upstairs room with the chronology of the boat, the documentary video about it, and also the more general history of shipping in the area. The ancient boat itself was the cherry on top. Great experience and thoroughly recommended!!

Delightful museum

A must visit especially if you want to learn about your ancestors and how they came to New Zealand. Very interesting and lots of information about the ship that bought many of our ancestors to New Zealand. Interactive, good for kids and very interesting video. Worth spending at least an hour looking through. Staff were very knowledgeable and keen to help. Good variety of merchandise for sale.

A must visit!

Wow this was a gem we didn't expect. A lovely museum full of stuff, a really interesting short movie about the Edwin Fox - and seeing a real 1853 convict ship in real life is one of those once in a lifetime things! Well worth the entry fee. Thank you .

Wow this is a gem!

Wonderful to see the Edwin Fox in dry dock being preserved for the future. The story of how it happened including captivating displays, personal stories and easy to digest explanation via a top movie presentation shown in the 1st floor mini theatre together bring this important history to life and make you glad you visited Picton.

An Important story for NZ and Australia

What a great museum!!! So well curated with informative displays and to be able to walk around the ship is an amazing experience. Would highly recommend.

A little gem of a museum. If you are in Picton just go, you won’t regret it!

Exterior of the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum, a stone building with a gray metal roof, set against lush green hills and blue sky.