15 Marlborough Tours to Build a Day Around

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.Beyond the Vines – Full-Day Marlborough Wine Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 438 reviews · from $136Top rated

Spend six hours tasting Marlborough wines at five wineries, with hotel pickup, a small group, and lunch at your own expense.

“Gavin made a brilliant day even better! Worth the fee alone, his knowledge, humour and interpersonal skills were second d to none. The wine was awesome too, 5 different locations all really engaging and pleased to have us there. A superb day with new friends made and memories for ever.”

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3.Coastal Pacific Train Journey from Picton to Christchurch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 345 reviews · from $164

Review the Coastal Pacific from Picton to Christchurch, with Kaikoura coast views, open-air carriage tips, timing, food, and value advice.

“Comfortable seats with beautiful views. Coastal views amazing. Good food and snacks. Very nice workers onboard. Downside, just this run were AC made it too cold and the train was 20+ minutes late which meant it was dark when we arrived. Also to know, the outdoor viewing car had no seating so I’d standing is an issue don’t go out there.”

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4.Full Day Iconic Mail Boat Cruise

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

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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5.Self-Guided Wine Tours by Bike with Lorelle & Greg

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 304 reviews · from $43

Cycle quiet Marlborough roads between Renwick wineries with bikes, wine panniers, shuttle service, tasting tips, and flexible self-guided routes.

“Jo and Steve provided great guidance on creating a memorable biking wine tasting route. Their bikes were comfortable and well maintained. It’s a great way to enjoy the Marlborough wine region!”

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6.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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7.Full Day Winemakers Tour in Marlborough

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 285 reviews · from $133

Taste Marlborough wines with a winemaker guide, visit up to six wineries, enjoy hotel pickup, and stop for lunch at your own cost.

“What a great way to spend the day getting to try multiple of Marlborough’s amazing vineyards. Our guide, Amanda was extremely knowledgeable which enhanced our experience. Highly recommend this tour as an easy and fun way to enjoy the wine region.”

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8.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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9.InterIslander Ferry – Picton to Wellington

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 247 reviews · from $58

Cross Cook Strait from Picton to Wellington on a 3.5-hour InterIslander ferry with sound views, open decks, meals, and generous baggage.

“Good on board was excellent. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Boarding in Picton was somewhat chaotic in that there were quite a few stairs that needed to be negotiated to get on board and we were not prepared for that challenge. Read more”

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10.Marlborough: Full-Day Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 221 reviews · 1 day · from $41Best value

Cycle Marlborough’s flat vineyard roads, visit up to 12 nearby wineries, and enjoy a flexible self-guided wine day with hotel transfers.

“Roo was a fantastic driver/bicycle set up & tour/map guide! Even though it was cold and rainy, we had a great time, got some exercise and drank good wine. 🍷 Cheers!!”

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11.Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour (full day) in the Marlborough Region.

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 206 reviews · from $43

Cycle Marlborough’s flat vineyard roads at your own pace with bike hire, hotel pickup, wine map, bottle collection, and winery choice.

“Andy presented us with a map and gave a quick guide on the local area vineyards. Unfortunately it was very busy as a cruise ship was in and we hadn’t booked any wine tours or lunch in advance. Managed to get lunch as we booked straight away: a lot of people were happy to have platters though. We also did tasters on our own.”

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12.Discover Marlborough Wine – Afternoon Marlborough Wine Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 200 reviews · from $117

Taste four Marlborough wineries on a small-group afternoon tour from Picton or Blenheim, with hotel pickup, local wine insight, and scenic vineyard stops.

“Would definitely recommend this wine tour. Picked up from our motel and commentary on board from a great guide. Visited 4 different wineries which all had different wines to taste and knowledgeable staff. Beautiful views and really enjoyed the small group atmosphere. Would suggest eating lunch beforehand! Thank you Marlborough wine tours.”

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13.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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14.The Hobbit Barrel Run Rafting Tour on the Pelorus River

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 167 reviews · from $133

Paddle the Pelorus River, visit Hobbit filming sites, and learn local mining history on a guided rafting trip from Havelock.

“We had a great time kayaking! Jade was a wonderful guide. There is a shower and hair dryer available if you decide to swim. I would definitely recommend!”

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15.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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