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.

What To Expect

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 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Joanna_L

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.

Reviews

4.5

36 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 36 reviews

Scam company. Do not listen to customer

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...

Nice ride

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.

Nice day cruising the sounds

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.

Very enjoyable and highly recommended.

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

Excellent fair weather overview of Queen Charlotte Sound

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.

A fun scenic boat trip with local color

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.

Disappointed as a “cruise”

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.

Fantastic Day in the Sounds.

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.

Awesome delivery cruise with Cougar line

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

A must do if staying in Picton

Joanna_L, Apr 2023

Great way to experience the beauty of the Sounds

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

A sunny day on the water.

Maria_v, Mar 2023

It was great To spend some relaxing time with our granddaughter. We never saw any sea animals and the trip was an our longer than planned which was nice for some but stressful for others who had other events planned.

Wonderful afternoon trip

Gill_B, Mar 2023

Even though our afternoon was very wet and cool we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The crew we're extremely friendly and helpful, we recommend the cruise

Not worth to tag along

Chantal_H, Feb 2023

I booked through TripAdvisor and was under the impression this was the mail delivery, non-touristy tour. Not so!! While the skipper was great, sharing the odd bit of information, this was 4 hours in a boat looking pretty much at the same stuff. In my opinion not with it unless you get off and do a hike and get back on another place.

Seeing the sounds

John_O, Feb 2023

It was interesting to go from place to place and hear a little history of the area. It was a beautiful setting and glad we could experience it.

No Tourists!!

David_T, Feb 2023

The views, the small docks where we dropped off/picked up people & supplies. The captain was very informative. This is a tour that most tourists will never see. Beautiful!

Beautiful part of the world to see

MARY_P, Dec 2022

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.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi Mary, We really appreciate your great review! So please to hear your experience was great. Thank you.

A Beautiful Cruise

Katherine_S, Nov 2022

The highlight of this trip was enjoying the beauty of the Sounds. It was also interesting to see how goods and people were ferried to and from various points in our trip. The crew were very courteous and helpful.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hi Katherine, We are so please to hear you enjoyed your experience! Thank you for the wonderful review.

Sounds good

Aukje_B, Apr 2021

The three hour trip gave a good impression of the sounds. It was nice to stop at different bays and see the shore from up close. The ride was comfortable and the commentary informative. The staff supplied us with tea and coffee and a friendly chat. We were lucky to see a pod of dolphins up close which made the trip extra special.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Hi Aukje, your review is wonderful, thank you so much. We're thrilled you enjoyed the Sounds Delivery Cruise, the beautiful scenery and the onboard hospitality. It's always a treat when the dolphins make an appearance! We hope you'll come back to see us again soon.

A beaut day of many bays.

Emma_H, Apr 2021

Lovely day. A good big boat. Got to see the bays up close. Comfortable seating inside and out. Good value. Didn’t get much commentary on the history of the area/bays which I was expecting.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Hi Emma_H, thank you very much for your review. We're glad you enjoyed the scenery and our comfortable boat, and also that you considered it value for money. Thank you for your feedback about the commentary - we have taken this on board to improve going forward. We hope to welcome you back again one day soon.