Last updated November 2026
The weathered wooden hull resting in a dry dock on Picton’s Dunbar Wharf belongs to a ship that carried soldiers, convicts and immigrants before it ended its working life as a floating freezer and coal hulk.
Edwin Fox Maritime Museum is built around that hull, the Edwin Fox, which was built in India and has been in Picton for well over a century.
You can see the ship up close in its custom-built dry dock, and the museum building beside it holds displays on its voyages.
Marlborough District Council is the ship’s kaitiaki, or guardian, and Heritage New Zealand lists the hull and its anchor windlass as a Category 1 historic place. The museum is open every day except Christmas Day, a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Picton.
Practical Information
- Address
- Dunbar Wharf, Picton Foreshore, 1 Auckland Street, Picton
- Opening hours
- Every day except Christmas Day: 9am to 5pm from 1 October to 30 April; 9am to 3pm from 1 May to 30 September
- Entry
- Charged; see the museum’s Plan Your Visit page for prices
- Seeing the ship
- Up close in its custom-built dry dock, outside the museum building
- Accessibility
- The museum displays are on the second storey and are not wheelchair accessible; ask at reception for help getting alongside the ship
- Kaitiaki (guardian)
- Marlborough District Council
- Heritage status
- Heritage New Zealand Category 1 historic place (List number 7450, Edwin Fox Hull and Anchor Windlass)
- Phone
- 03 573 6868
- Status
- Check the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum website before you go.
About Edwin Fox Maritime Museum
The Edwin Fox was built in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, in 1853, and made its first ocean voyage that same year. Soon afterwards the British Government chartered it to carry troops and stores during the Crimean War.
From 1858 the ship was used to transport convicts to Fremantle in Western Australia. In 1873 it began carrying immigrants to New Zealand, and it made four immigrant voyages to New Zealand in all.
In 1885 the Edwin Fox was converted into a freezing hulk, and it played a part in the early trade in frozen meat from New Zealand to Britain. It arrived in Picton in 1897, where it was first used for accommodation. From 1905 until the mid-1950s it served the town as a coal hulk.
Saving the Ship
In 1965 a restoration society formed to save the old ship from destruction, and the hull was towed to Shakespeare Bay, where it stayed for about two decades. In 1986 it was towed back to a mooring on the Picton foreshore, partly restored and opened to visitors, which began its life as a museum ship.
In 1999 the Edwin Fox made its final journey, into the dry dock at Dunbar Wharf where it sits today. Marlborough District Council looks after the ship today, and the Edwin Fox Preservation Trust helps fund its preservation.
What to See
The ship sits outside in a custom-built dry dock that holds its preserved structure, and the museum invites visitors to step outside and see it up close.
Inside the main building, the displays on the second storey cover the ship’s voyages around the globe. There is a play area where children can dress up as a captain or a pirate, and a gift shop that sells books about the ship, including Nigel Costley’s Teak and Tide.
The museum suggests allowing at least an hour for the ship and the museum together. Groups need to book ahead, and guided tours can be arranged by phone or email.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Edwin Fox Maritime Museum?
On Dunbar Wharf, Picton Foreshore, at 1 Auckland Street, a few minutes’ walk from the Picton town centre.
What are the opening hours?
The museum opens every day except Christmas Day, from 9am to 5pm between 1 October and 30 April, and from 9am to 3pm between 1 May and 30 September.
Is there an entry charge?
Yes. The museum lists its current prices on its Plan Your Visit page.
How close can I get to the Edwin Fox?
The museum says you can see the ship up close in its custom-built dry dock, and people with limited mobility can get alongside it with help from reception.
Where was the Edwin Fox built?
In Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, in 1853.
Why is the ship in Picton?
It arrived in 1897 and was used for accommodation and later as a coal hulk. It was saved in 1965, returned to the Picton foreshore in 1986 and moved into its dry dock at Dunbar Wharf in 1999.
Who looks after the ship?
Marlborough District Council is its kaitiaki, or guardian, and the Edwin Fox Preservation Trust helps fund its preservation.
Is the museum wheelchair accessible?
The displays are on the second storey and are not wheelchair accessible. The museum says people with limited mobility can get alongside the ship and should ask at reception for help.
Spotted something incorrect on this page? Let us know.
Related links 3
- Edwin Fox Maritime Museum: History and Achievements: a timeline of the ship’s voyages, its Picton years and its preservation.
- Heritage New Zealand: Edwin Fox Hull and Anchor Windlass: the List entry, with a detailed history of the ship.
- Marlborough District Council: Edwin Fox Hull and Anchor Windlass: the council’s heritage profile of the ship.