Half-Day Marlborough Sounds Cruise: Visit Ship Cove and Explore New Zealand's Coastline

Embark on a half-day cruise through the stunning Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand. Visit Ship Cove, admire the breathtaking scenery, and learn about the region’s marine life and cultural history.

Duration: 3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Queen Charlotte Sound - Cruise through the tranquil waterways of the Queen Charlotte Sound, see wildlife and native flora and fauna along the way
What's Included
  • Commentary on board
  • On-board restrooms
What's Not Included
  • Food
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Beachcomber Cruises keep cup ($6 available for purchase)
Additional Information

Embark on a morning boat excursion to Ship Cove, as you traverse the vast waterway network of Marlborough Sounds, accounting for one-fifth of New Zealand’s coastal line. At Ship Cove, you’ll have the opportunity to see Captain Cook’s memorial, Maori wooden sculptures, and a secluded beach. As you navigate through these stunning landscapes, listen to…

Location
1 London Quay
London Quay
Please meet us at the Beachcomber Cruises Office on the waterfront - the Corner of Wellington Street and London Quay, we are a black building with Blue Signage.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.4
(122 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Phillip_s
Dec 3, 2024
Marlborough Boat ride Experience - A lovely day on a boat up the Marlborough. We stopped off at one of the islands to have a look around. Unfortunately, with little time to experience it fully. Could have stayed at least another 15mins. Once back on land had a look at markets, had a bite to eat and had a look in the Whale Museum, well worth a look. Our tour guide was very informative.
Review provided by Viator
Carolyn_d
Nov 25, 2024
Wonderful tour of The Queen Charlotte Sound - Thoroughly enjoyed our boat cruise in the Marlborough sounds from Picton. The Queen Charlotte sound is very scenic and the Ship Cove is beautiful.
Review provided by Viator
David
Nov 24, 2024
Great half day trip on the water - A great experience getting to see places on Marlborough Sound that we wouldn’t have got to any other way. The skipper was really friendly and informative. Given the length of the trip (some 4 hours) the cost seemed very reasonable. Would thoroughly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tisa_i
Nov 2, 2024
Great cruise. - What a great experience, throughly enjoyed the time. Awesome knowledgeable crew. Would highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Nan_s
Oct 28, 2024
Beyond expectations - The highlight of the tour is encountering 3 groups of dolphins on this tour, very pleasant surprise. There are times it's a bit slow and dull but for the price, it's very worthwhile.
Review provided by Viator
Randall_s
Oct 24, 2024
Lovely morning in Picton - I would highly recommend this morning boat ride through the Marlborough Sound in Picton. The boat is lovely, clean and easily accessible to all ages. The tour guide was excellent, gave us history and facts about the Sound and we had a nice stop at the location where James Cook landed with his sailors. The birds were chirping and came very close to us. The trip started at 9 and ended at 12 with plenty of time to shop and eat locally. Well worth the money.
Review provided by Viator
Dyllan_g
Jul 9, 2024
We had an awsome trip saw... - We had an awsome trip saw two types of dolphins, penguins and seals galore. The guide was helpful and full of knowledge great day.
Review provided by Viator
Jeff_b
Jun 13, 2024
Donna was so helpful and... - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Amanda_b
Jun 1, 2024
Kid friendly and enjoyable tour - We enjoyed the cruise, lovely weather, great captain letting the kids steer the boat on the return trip. Liked all the extra stops along the way, dolphins turned up which was exciting for everyone. Wekas interaction at ship's cove. No complaints very enjoyable cruise.
Review provided by Viator
Aaron_y
Sep 5, 2024
Mediocre cruise with worse customer service. - Fairly mediocre and underwhelming cruise. The sound system was ‘broken’ on the boat. In reality, the sound system was working for the top half but not the bottom half of the boat so there seemed to be no commentary given at all, which was a promised part of the trip. So we just rode around the sound without any context or any idea of anything we were looking which just made it seemed like we were on a boat that was running errands dropping off bags and packages. A few of us asked about the issue after and the representative did not seem to care or make an effort to provide either something that could help provide commentary or any compensation on behalf of our diminished experience. An email sent after directly to give another chance to help fix this resulted in the same. Would not recommend traveling with this company and go with another company that cares a little more about the customer experience.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today