41°05′14.73″S173°45′59.26″E / 41.0874250°S 173.7664611°E /-41.0874250; 173.7664611
Penzance Bay is a popular bay located inTennyson Inlet, New Zealand, within theMarlborough Sounds. Tennyson Inlet is an arm ofPelorus Sound / Te Hoiere. The bay is immediately north of Tuna Bay, which is accessed by the same road.
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 largewharf, 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 asDuncan Bay andElaine Bay. Penzance is surrounded with native forest, much of it is untouched. The native forest contains large southern beech trees,Nothofagus species; along withconifers, as well as perching plants andepiphytes. In early summer, large numbers of the New Zealand groundorchidPterostylis banksii are present along the walking tracks. The Maori name for the orchard istutukiwi, or beak of a kiwi.
Access to Penzance is gained through Archers Road which is off Tennyson Inlet Road. The turn off is slightly north ofRai Valley. Penzance is located about 1 hour and 15 minutes away fromNelson.
The Penzance settlement is small with very few permanent residents. The settlement is mostly composed ofbaches or New Zealand holiday homes.
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