3.5 Hour Marlborough Sounds Delivery Cruise
Picton, New Zealand
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
When you have limited time, a delivery cruise is an ideal way to get around the Marlborough Sounds. Get an up-close look at remote homes and resorts while your boat delivers supplies to hidden coves and tucked-away bays. Learn about the ever-popular Queen Charlotte Track and relax while exploring miles of wild coastline.
- Experience the communities and marine life of Marlborough Sounds from the water
- Venture into hidden coves and bays not seen from the Interislander ferry
- Benefit from insider knowledge about Queen Charlotte Sound from the skipper
- Meet hikers and locals alike while witnessing daily life from the vessel
What's Included
- Live commentary on board
- GST (Goods and Services Tax)
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Food and drinks (available for purchase on some cruises)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 1 London Quay, Picton 7220, New Zealand
Departure Point: Cougar Line office, Picton Town Wharf Address: 1 London Quay, Picton 7250 Directions: Look for the 3 purple flags Dates: See Availability Return point: Cougar Line office, Picton Town Wharf
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Queen Charlotte Sound (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Operates in a majority of weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- In the very rare event of the cruise being canceled due to extreme weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- The duration of cruise are approximate, the exact duration will depend on the time of day and weather condition
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 99 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Paola_G
A wonderful experience seeing a lot of wonderful scenery. Staff friendly and informative. Meet all type of travelers . Make sure you bring a warm jacket and head protection because on top deck very windy and chilly.
Reviews
4.5
based on 68 reviews
Barbara_L, Apr 2026
Fun way to see the sound! Went into a lot of the inlets. Water was stunning! Even stopped to see wildlife along the way.
George_M, Mar 2026
Very pleasant three hour trip, very informative detailed trip by the captain, would definitely go again we enjoyed it very much.
Excellent
Rachelle_M, Mar 2026
Take your own snacks, toilet on board, fabulous trip, knowledgeable guides, was neat!!! So picturesque fabulous photos
Shelley_M, Mar 2026
Boat cruise stopping at specific docks where unique resorts are located and certain wildlife. Some passengers get on and off. Beautiful scenery. Would highly recommend.
John_K, Feb 2026
We really enjoyed visiting all the resorts and villages around the sound. The commentary by the captain was also helpful
Helen_C, Feb 2026
Good fun even on a misty drizzly day. Good commentary and views as you whizz around the Charlotte Sound,
Cherie_H, Feb 2026
Even with the rainy conditions we thoroughly enjoyed this boat trip because there was plenty of seating inside to look out. We got an appreciation for the vastness of the sound and many of the larger and more famous bays.
Angelique_L, Jan 2026
What a beautiful way to see the sounds, it’s been on my bucket list to do this trip & it didn’t disappoint even the grey day couldn’t take away the spectacular views.
Awesome crew, great customer experience, thank you!
Paola_G, Dec 2025
A wonderful experience seeing a lot of wonderful scenery. Staff friendly and informative. Meet all type of travelers . Make sure you bring a warm jacket and head protection because on top deck very windy and chilly.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
hank you for your lovely review! We’re so glad you enjoyed exploring the beautiful Marlborough Sounds with us and that our friendly crew helped make the experience memorable. Great tip about bringing a warm jacket, it can get breezy out on the top deck, but those views are definitely worth it! We hope to welcome you back on board again soon!
Malcolm_S, Oct 2025
Knowledgeable skipper and amazing views. Great to hear some local history on our way round. Also lucky enough to see some dolphins
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Amazing to have you with us, thank you, we are in a very special place, look forward to welcoming you back again
Tracy_M, Aug 2025
Try it. We thoroughly enjoyed it, but wasn't what I was expecting. It was more of a taxi than mail run.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for sharing your feedback! We’re so pleased to hear you thoroughly enjoyed the trip. Our cruises do combine delivering mail and supplies with transporting locals and visitors around the Sounds, so sometimes it can feel a little more like a water taxi. We’re glad you gave it a try and hope we can welcome you back on board again to experience another side of the Marlborough Sounds.
Jenny_c, Jun 2025
Do it! Great experience, commentary and chatter with local operators and residents of remote locations around the Sound. Huge pod of bottle nose dolphins playing with the boat was a real treat 😄
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Hi Jenny, thank you very much for your kind review. Love hearing people enjoy the commentary! How special you had dolphins! moments like that are truly unforgettable.
Wendy_B, May 2025
Great trip, very knowledgeable captain and trainee captain
Very friendly atmosphere
Helped me as I was walking with a cane
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for your kind feedback! We're glad you enjoyed the trip and felt supported by our crew. It's great to hear the team created a friendly and helpful atmosphere.
Chris_H, May 2025
Highlight was visiting Ships Cove for its historical significance. But if you can get a trip where you can get off there and check it out would be better. That said I was greatfull for the chance to visit the Cove! Otherwise and interesting few hours with no other highlights. Commentary was informed but no PA on the boat made it hard to hear skipper so had to go upfront and chat with him to get the detail.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thanks for your feedback! We're glad you found the trip interesting and were able to chat with the skipper for more details. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.
knottyk3, May 2025
We enjoyed seeing the sounds and the resorts/little towns the boat stopped in. The sea was relatively calm this day, but I wouldn't recommend this trip when the seas are rough. We sat up top next to the captain and got more information about the area than was shared on the intercom just by listening to him talk with others.
Response from Host, May 2025
Glad to hear you enjoyed the trip and the stops along the way. Sitting near the captain sounds like a great way to learn more about the area. Thank you for sharing!
Paul_L, Apr 2025
Hold on to your hats. I lost mine when the boat got going. First hour was point to point and then multiple stops coming back to the wharf. Skipper was great to chat to and the highlight was coming across a huge pod of dolphins. We stopped for about 10 minutes with the dolphins playing all around us and then they followed us for quite a while when we started moving again.
Thanks for a great day.
Response from Host, May 2025
Thanks for the great review! Sounds like it was quite the adventure—sorry to hear about the hat, but what an incredible bonus to encounter that pod of dolphins! We're so glad you enjoyed the journey and had a chance to chat with the skipper. We'll be sure to pass on your kind words. Hope to see you back onboard soon—maybe with a spare hat next time!
Diane_L, Feb 2025
Good boat ride but not what I expected. They basically just take you on a boat ride and drop or pick up people from different areas. I thought we'd see how deliveries were made in remote areas that don't have stores or roads.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Hi Diane,
We're sorry to hear the cruise did not meet your expectations. We take all feedback on board and will pass this feedback onto our marketing team for review. We hope you were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery while out on the water.
Kim_K, Feb 2025
Amazing opportunity to see the sounds from a different perspective.
The different gives and inlets where people have built houses.
Stunning water ways.
No dolphins, but the crew were very informative and funny.
Would definitely recommen this to everyone, not just visiting overseas people.
Janet_V, Dec 2024
The scenery on this trips was amazing. The crew onboard were very friendly and we also enjoyed the commentary from the skipper.
Vishwas_P, Mar 2024
It's a fraud. Local operator and viator is terrible. No mention of check in time on the ticket and was advised later by a operator that chrck in time is 30 mins before. Did not allowed us to ride. DO NOT BOOK WITH VIATOR. SCAM...
Kevin_F, Mar 2024
Best view of the area is rom the water. This ride shows you the expanse of the water and scenery of the land. Read inside to hear the captain’s commentary.
This route is more a shuttle to the area resorts and trailheads, so might be a bit long for most sightseers.
Gordon_M, Mar 2024
Smooth sailing start to finish . Seen many different vacation spots and chatted with the various people as they came and went seen one dolphin . A good day.
Wayne_B, Feb 2024
This cruise allowed us to get close to inaccessible islands and view areas not visible from our cruise ship. Small boat so very personable. Very enjoyable and we would strongly recommend it
Richard_B, Feb 2024
Excellent taste of Queen Charlotte Sound. This is not a tour but rather a ride around the sound to a few remote communities. This cruise is best in good weather, but not recommended for inclement weather.
Christopher_W, Feb 2024
Really fun! Tour of the bays and inlets combined with chatting with the captain and locals being dropped off. Best on a sunny calm day like the one we had. The time flew by.
Heather_H, Dec 2023
Expected more commentary on the trip, there wasn’t much more than the names of the bays we visited. It would have been nice to learn more about life in the sounds and the wildlife. From a delivery perspective, appears to be an efficient, well run operation.
Margaret_P, Nov 2023
Great service from booking desk to cruise staff, very informative comments made along the way. Lovely to talk with other passengers and staff as the joined the cruise. Great we slowed down to see the dolphins. Thank you.
Bonito_T, Jul 2023
Very comfortable boat, great views from outside the back deck. Interesting to see different bays and coves and the baches there. We even saw hectors dolphins
Joanna_L, Apr 2023
Absolutely stunning views as you visit the small coves. So glad we did this. We missed our original booking as our ferry docked late in Picton. The tour company let us move our booking to the next day, and we are so grateful to them for that.
Jane_G, Mar 2023
Seeing the expanse if the Sounds and seeing all the remote hideaways. The boat was roomy and the skipper very informative
From $66.11
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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3.5 Hour Marlborough Sounds Delivery Cruise
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