Penzance Bay is a popular bay located in Tennyson Inlet

Tennyson Inlet

Tennyson Inlet, is the southern arm of Pelorus Sound in the Marlborough Sounds. Tennyson Inlet encompasses Duncan Bay to Tawhitinui Reach. This area is about ten kilometers long . Tarakaipa and Tawhitinui Islands are the two largest islands in the inlet...

, within the Marlborough Sounds

Marlborough Sounds

The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels at the north of the South Island of New Zealand...

. Tennyson Inlet is an arm of Pelorus Sound

Pelorus Sound

Pelorus Sound 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 formed after the last ice age around 10,000 years ago...

. The bay is immediately north of Tuna Bay which is accessed by the same road.

Attractions

Penzance's beach is of gravel, which is unusual for this area of the Marlborough Sounds. This gives the beach a good reputation for safe and pleasant swimming. The bay contains a boat ramp, a large wharf

Wharf

A wharf or quay is a structure on the shore of a harbor where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or more berths , and may also include piers, warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships.A wharf commonly comprises a fixed...

, and a swimming island. These facilities coupled with ease of access gives the bay a great reputation for boating activities and fishing. There are walking tracks which link many of the adjacent bays together, such as Duncan Bay and Elaine Bay. Penzance is surrounded with native forest, much of it is untouched. The native forest contains large southern beech trees, Nothofagus

Nothofagus

Nothofagus, also known as the southern beeches, is a genus of 35 species of trees and shrubs native to the temperate oceanic to tropical Southern Hemisphere in southern South America and Australasia...

species; along with conifers, as well as perching plants and epiphytes. In early summer, large numbers of the NZ ground orchid Pterostylis banksii are present along the walking tracks. The Maori name for the orchard is tutukiwi, or beak of a kiwi.

Access

Access to Penzance is gained through Archers Road which is off Tennyson Inlet Road. The turn off is slightly north of Rai Valley

Rai Valley

Rai Valley is a locality in Marlborough, New Zealand. State Highway 6 runs through the area. The Rai River runs past the locality to join the Pelorus River at the locality of Pelorus Bridge to the south. Nelson is 48 km to the west. Okiwi Bay is 22 km to the northeast...

. Penzance is located about 1 hour and 15 minutes away from Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....

.

Settlement

The Penzance settlement is small with very few permanent residents. The settlement is mostly composed of baches

Bach (New Zealand)

A bach is a small, often very modest holiday home or beach house. Alternatively called a crib, they are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture, especially in the middle of the 20th century, where they symbolized the beach holiday lifestyle that was becoming more accessible to the...

or New Zealand holiday homes.