Top 15 Boat Tours in Marlborough

Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise from Picton - Starting in Picton and meeting the crew

★★★★★★★★★★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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Full Day Iconic Mail Boat Cruise

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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Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise

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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Marlborough Sounds and Ship Cove Cruise from Picton

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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Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton

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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Picton Cruise Ship Shore Excursion Marlborough Wine Tour

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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Half-Day Cruise in Marlborough Sounds from Picton

7.Half-Day Cruise in Marlborough Sounds from Picton

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

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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Seafood Odyssea Marlborough Sounds Cruise from Picton

8.Seafood Odyssea Marlborough Sounds Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 128 reviews · from $111

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton, taste fresh salmon and mussels, learn about marine farms, and spot wildlife aboard a luxury catamaran.

“It never happened as it was cancelled last minute with no notification. Very disappointed. Didn’t have enough notice to book other excursions. So whole visit to Picton was wasted”

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Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise

9.Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 128 reviews · from $104

Review of E-Ko’s four-hour Marlborough Sounds wildlife cruise from Picton, with Motuara Island, dolphins, seals, birds, tips, and value advice.

“The knowledge and enthusiasm of Alice and Andy were first class. It was such a privilege to see such a beautiful place and hear so many interesting facts. Thank-you”

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From Havelock: Marlborough Sounds Mail Boat Full-Day Cruise

10.From Havelock: Marlborough Sounds Mail Boat Full-Day Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 92 reviews · 6 hours · from $86

Cruise the remote Marlborough Sounds on a working mail boat, meet locals, spot wildlife, visit a mussel farm, and enjoy a picnic stop.

“Great day dropping and picking mail and passengers from remote piers. Captain and the guide explained the area. You park nearby and deposit nzd 7 in honesty box. Board the boat and relax. Free tea and coffee on board. We stopped for our packed lunch at a small beach Lovely day out”

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CRUISE SHIP DAY Marlborough Hop On Hop Off Wine Tours

11.CRUISE SHIP DAY Marlborough Hop On Hop Off Wine Tours

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 88 reviews · from $80

Review of Marlborough’s flexible hop-on hop-off wine tour from Picton, with winery tips, museum stops, timing advice, and honest value guidance.

“We had a great using the Hop On Hop Of bus, visiting our chosen sites with ease. We chose 4 venues which was omfortably enough. The retuning buses were often full but everyone got home!”

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Marlborough Icons Tour – Wine tasting + Cruise

12.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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Picton Shore Excursion: Queen Charlotte Sounds Cruise

13.Picton Shore Excursion: Queen Charlotte Sounds Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 60 reviews · from $50Best value

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton in 90 minutes, with native wildlife, seabirds, bay views, local stories, and fish feeding.

“Very nice cruise around some of the bays near to Picton. The commentary was also interesting & informative.”

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Marlborough: Full-Day Wine and Seafood Tour with Cruise

14.Marlborough: Full-Day Wine and Seafood Tour with Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 57 reviews · 7 hours · from $191

Tour Marlborough’s vineyards and Queen Charlotte Sound in one day, with wine tastings, lunch, a scenic cruise, mussels, and salmon.

“The wine tours and chatter that comes with wine was great! Ray was pleasant and didn’t rush things. The Seafood Tour food was amazing and enjoyable in such a beautiful setting. The staff on the boat charter were too serious and not very warm and welcoming - just efficient. A few more jokes and laughter would go a long way to relaxing guests and give this a 5-star rating.”

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3.5 Hour Marlborough Sounds Delivery Cruise

15.3.5 Hour Marlborough Sounds Delivery Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 55 reviews · from $68

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton, stopping at remote homes, resorts, and trailheads while enjoying local stories and possible wildlife sightings.

“Certainly a beautiful part of the world to visit. The tour operator was great, commentary on cruise was very informative and the rest of the staff very helpful. Would certainly recommend this tour to others.”

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