Top 8 Boat Tours in Marlborough

1.Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 541 reviews · 4 hours · from $75Our pick

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound on a working mail boat, delivering post, spotting wildlife, and seeing remote coastal life from Picton.

“We obviously had beautiful scenery and doing a Mail Drop along the way made it more interesting. Dylan, our captain was very capable - managing the catamaran single handedly with no problem at all. In addition he gave us lots of interesting information and was very personable.”

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2.Full Day Iconic Mail Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 321 reviews · from $86Top rated

Cruise Pelorus Sound on New Zealand’s working mail boat, with remote homes, wildlife, local stories, and a choice of lunch stops.

“The "small" group is about a group of 60 people. If you are not one of the lucky 5-8 persons having a good seat/ spot on the boat, you won't experience the interactions of the locals with the crew. The crew is very great. But if you are one of the unlucky ones having not a good seat, you won't see a lot of the woulderful area. Would be a nicer experience if it would be really a small group.”

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3.Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 295 reviews · from $75

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton on a working mail boat, with remote bays, wildlife, local stories, and seasonal Ship Cove stops.

“A fabulous trip with great views and commentary. A great way to see the Sound and understand the environment.”

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4.Marlborough Sounds and Ship Cove Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 252 reviews · 3 hours · from $66

Cruise from Picton to historic Ship Cove through Queen Charlotte Sound, with live commentary, wildlife chances, and scenic Marlborough views.

“It was an awesome experience with a funny guide who explained perfectly the history of Marlborough Sounds. I wish the stay at ship cov would have been a bit longer but other than that I cannot complain. totally worth the money”

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5.Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 180 reviews · from $104

Cruise the Marlborough Sounds from Picton, spot dolphins and seals, and walk Motuara Island with expert guides on this wildlife tour.

“Lovely ride around Marlborough sound. Saw many seals King birds and others. Smooth boat ride. Cam was fabulous guide. Definitely an adventure for the soul.”

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6.Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 165 reviews · from $155

Taste Marlborough wines on a small-group Picton shore excursion with vineyard visits, lunch, chocolate, and reliable cruise-ship timing.

“A great day in Marlborough. Bruce picked us up early and even rearranged the schedule a bit to hit the Chocolate Factory before it got busy. The Cellar Doors we stopped at were excellent and completely different from each other to show the diversity of the region. The cherry on top of the day, I think Bruce was more concerned about getting us back to the boat on time than even we were. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable day.”

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7.Half-Day Cruise in Marlborough Sounds from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 145 reviews · from $65Best value

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton to Ship Cove, with live commentary, wildlife sightings, and a morning of scenic Marlborough Sounds travel.

“Donna was so helpful and friendly booking in, while Greg was an awesome guide. Ship Cove is now my favourite place on earth. Thank you!”

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8.Marlborough Icons Tour – Wine tasting + Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 76 reviews · from $198

Tour Marlborough’s wineries and Queen Charlotte Sound in one day, with tastings, lunch, local seafood, hotel pickup, and a small-group guide.

“Lovely day out tasting wine at three wineries (a bonus stop for bubbles) lunch and then a nice cruise on the Sound finishing with some fresh green shelled mussels. A stop at the chocolate factory on the way home. Heather was great company and looked after us. Highly recommend this trip.”

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