Picton Tours
Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary and Ship Cove Cruise from Picton
4.5

Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary and Ship Cove Cruise from Picton

By Beachcomber Cruises
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About
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation

Ages 0-99, max of 70 per group
Duration: 4h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Commentary on board
  • Restroom on board
What's not included
  • Food
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Beachcomber Cruises keep cups for $6 in the office before you depart


Start:
  • 1 London Quay, Picton 7220, New Zealand
    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.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Stroller accessible
    • Service animals allowed
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6607MOUTARA

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Guests are welcome to bring their own food and drinks to consume on board
    • Closed-toe walking shoes suitable for walking are recommended
    • Most travelers can participate
    • We are not able to pick up / drop off at the Cruise Ship Terminal - you must make your way to our booking office
    • Please note that this tour departs sharply on schedule at 8:00am
    • Not recommended for travelers with mobility constraints
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 70 travelers

    • For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6607MOUTARA

    From
    $69.29
    per adult
    Select date and travelers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • 1 London Quay, Picton 7220, New Zealand
      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.
    • Pass by
      Queen Charlotte Sound
    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Beachcomber Cruises
      984
      Picton, New Zealand
      Joined in June 2011
    • 162belindas
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Wow. Lady Ann cruise was fantastic!
      We took a cruise on Lady Ann from Picton up to Cook's Landing at Ship Cove, where we stopped for a wander around, and were then dropped at Torea Bay. What an amazing day we had. The pre-planning was a breeze with the assistance and helpful advice from Becky along the way. On the day we were treated to a very memorable experience. The boat itself is fantastic. Mark, Courtney and Flame looked after us so well - we wanted for nothing. We saw penguins, dolphins, seals, and gannets. We ate food that looked beautiful and tasted as good as it looked. I highly recommend this company. I do not often post reviews, but feel the memories we were given of a very special day, and how well treated we were, is deserving of praise. Thank you so much to the team at Beachcomber Cruises for looking after our team so well. A definite highlight of our trip.
      Written September 19, 2024
    • HeaMcD
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Stunning must-do cruise!
      Captain Greg,took us on an amazing cruise around the best spots to be seen on our private 1 hour trip. Such a beautiful part of the world and Greg was very informative,with some very interesting facts.
      Written August 23, 2024
    • Brendajulie
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      The sounds mail delivery run
      Greg our captain gave a great commentary of the sounds as he delivered supplies and mail all the way to Furneaux lodge and back, we saw lots of dolphins, seals and blue penguins as well as the lovely landscape. A very interesting trip, well worth doing and enjoyed by ourselves and friends that we travelled with
      Written July 17, 2024
    • Discover62977272803
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      MAGIC Mail Boat Cruise - the best adventure in all of Picton!
      The cruise of our DREAMS! Stunning views, small tour size, friendly and informative staff. We were greeted at the counter and shown a map of the Queen Charlotte Sounds, boarded the boat and took off. We saw dolphins, seals and Blue Cod! The sun went down on the trip back. A perfect afternoon!
      Written July 8, 2024
    • JonnyM2468
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic company for Queen Charlotte Track
      Fantastic service from Beachcomber. Booked some pickups/drop offs and bag transfers for the Queen Charlotte track. It was the start of the 'quiet season' but they were more than happy to accommodate and still had busy boats for the day tours. Excellent communication via email and clear instructions on the day from office staff and skippers. All staff super friendly and knowledgeable. They were flexible enough to pick us up earlier when we arrived to the pickup point a bit sooner than we had planned which was really appreciated at that time of year. Would highly recommend them for any shuttles or tours in the sounds. Cheers
      Written June 8, 2024
    • lkrocks
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Lovely tour!!!!
      Great tour! Kevin and Kayla made it enjoyable…loved the information, views, and total experience. The town of Picton was great and this was a beautiful way to see it!!
      Written May 21, 2024
    • wegge
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great trip
      We enjoyed our cruise with ‘Beachcomber Cruise’ very much. The boat trip from Picton to Ship Cove was very informative and pleasant. The cruise from Punga Cove to Picton was speedy and absolutely on time. Thank you for a great service in the Marlborough Sounds. HeiWe
      Written May 21, 2024
    • Global25528487494
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fantastic QC walk and views
      Ship Cove to Furneaux Lodge 17km walk It takes about an hour to get there and back on the smaller boat, depending on the mail drop/ pick up. It was a pleasant trip with lots of commentary on history and facts. The walk takes about 5 hours with a few breaks in between. It's intermediate level with a couple of uphills at the start. Beautiful views and seats to rest along the path. The track wasn't as well maintained as thought, but still very doable.
      Written April 28, 2024
    • Coastal17683145500
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Wonderful trip Outstanding service
      Wonderful trip with great commentary. Outstanding scenery. Captain of the boat provided kind and Outstanding service with assisting my elderly mother....many thanks
      Written April 26, 2024
    • philiplO8061JR
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great scenery and great to visit all the bays
      Had a great day out. The weather was perfect. Saw lots of new country. The staff were very friendly and informative. Well worth doing.
      Written April 21, 2024
    • Departure00096900417
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fabulous cruise around the Sound
      A very beautiful and interesting trip. Well worth doing to see this incredible scenery and to see the beautiful remote places where people live in the Sound
      Written April 20, 2024
    • Traveler57575348312
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Highly recommended.
      The skipper, Aaron was knowledgeable, friendly and good-natured. My family used the water taxi service to be dropped off and picked up from the Queen Charlotte Track. The boat had plenty of room and comfortable. Top deck was open for great views. Highly recommend!
      Written April 17, 2024
    • Wayne J
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Unique Experience
      Great experience on the water on a working mail delivery boat. Greg the skipper was a local fisherman who was an excellent guide with plenty of local knowledge and experience. The boat is dry, comfortable and safe. We saw some great out of the way places and people, all excited to be receiving the mail. Highly recommend. Ps. Office staff were a delight to talk to, also very knowledgeable
      Written April 15, 2024
    • mjh976
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Beautiful half day trip
      Loved the half day trip to Ship Cove. Very lucky with the beautiful weather. Saw a penguin but no dolphins due to the time of year. Could easily hear the commentary from the top deck but was harder to hear inside the boat. Would have loved to stay a little longer at Ship Cove.
      Written April 7, 2024
    • Wander08299315569
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great trip
      Skipper provided a very interesting commentary. We walked from Ship Bay to Furneaux Lodge. Only snag is there is not too much to see for a lot of the walk due to the bush. But you do get to see lots of wekas. Good quick boat ride both ways and friendly staff.
      Written March 31, 2024
    See all 984 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles14 reviews
    Excellent
    9
    Very good
    3
    Average
    0
    Poor
    1
    Terrible
    1

    Chanting Mum
    16 contributions
    1.0 of 5 bubbles
    We did the ship cove cruise and had the worst 4.5 hours ever. The commentary was mind numbing. Nothing of interest was said, just a load of boring information about the prices or features or rich owners of the houses that we passed. It became apparent early on that we had paid a lot of money to join a boat that was dropping off and moving around other people's luggage. We were on board a bag delivery service. We stopped at multiple stops that weren't supposed to happen (one of them twice - for a bag of course!) so that people who paid for a different service had their needs met, while the requirements of those who had paid for a scenic cruise were out of the window. This company bangs on about being family run etc, when all it seems to be focused on is making maximum profits. I have never seen so many bored looking people as I did on the boat. Almost everyone was trying to sleep or had their head in their hands. Everyone looked miserable. Every time the boat stopped to deliver yet more bags in more locations, there was a groan from those of us stupid enough to pay to be on board. We saw absolutely no wildlife and nor was there any attempt to see anything. So disappointing that our only day in the sounds was ruined by this awful cruise. We delivered so many bags that we arrived back late at 1.30! Worst cruise we've ever been on and definitely not suitable for small kids, who found the whole mind-numbing experience too much to take. I don't blame them! Don't waste your money. I can't comment on any of the other cruise companies in Picton because we didn't have the time or willpower to do another cruise, but this company is definitely more interested in getting maximum income than providing the service they describe. The commentator needs to learn to speak about anything but houses and house owners, and the bag delivery service should not be part of a scenic cruise.
    Written December 29, 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hello TripAdvisor User We are very sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your cruise with us, most people do usually enjoy the extra stops that the boat does as it gives passengers more of a chance to see some extra scenery. Unfortunately this was a very busy day for us so we did have lots of luggage to move around the sounds which is part of our regular service which did delay our cruise. We did note that you did not make your complaint to the reservations desk upon disembarking, if you would have made your complaint known we may have been able to come up with a resolution.
    Written January 8, 2018
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Virginia B
    1 contribution
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2023 • Couples
    A beautiful trip and a guide who had useful info. The blurb didn't say that we only had one hour on the island which wasn't really enough. It's not a big island but there is so much to see.
    Written February 10, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi X9864NOvirginiab Thank you for your review, we will make sure that the time frames are clearly advertised and explained upon check in as we understand this leads to a disappointing experience if you were expecting more time than allocated. We are pleased to hear that you did enjoy the rest of the boat cruise with us,
    Written February 13, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Traveller_Hubin
    ohio4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2019
    Jason was a wonderful guide - personable and very knowledgeable. The cruise itself was relaxing with beautiful scenery (of course - it's New Zealand), and the walk through the Bird Sanctuary was lovely as well. We saw dozens of native birds at very close range. Really great experience!
    Written November 24, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Traveller_Hubin Thanks for taking the time to review us on TripAdvisor - we are really happy to hear that you enjoyed your cruise and the company of our skipper Jason. We were glad to hear that you saw plenty of our beautiful native birdlife in there habitat. We hope to have you cruise with us again some other time,
    Written November 25, 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    GreensinOz
    Chittering, Australia72 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2017 • Couples
    This was a fabulous trip and great value for money. The island was wonderful, especially seeing the baby penguins in the nest boxes and great variety of birdlife that can now live predator free on the island... Glorious sailing and then a nice scenic walk back to be picked up for the boat trip home... Lots of Weka around...
    Written November 25, 2017
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi GreensinOz, Thank you for your recent reveiw. Its sounds as thou you have had a brilliant time out on the Queen Charlotte Sounds. Motuara Island is a little hidden gem with very cute penguins this time of year , little fluff balls with cute eyes! Thanks again for your reveiw and we wish you safe travels. Kind Regards, Reservations
    Written December 4, 2017
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Julie_from_MI
    Troy, MI155 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    The boat ride was beautiful. On the island, I felt rushed to climb to the viewpoint and get back down on time. We enjoy seeing birds but are not experienced birders. We could hear more than we could see.
    Written February 16, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Julie_from_MI Thank you for your review, we are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your trip in the Queen Charlotte Sound with us, Motuara Island is certainly a stunning spot! Im sorry you didn't feel like you had enough time on the island, we do try and make sure that the timings are an average that suit everyone. But pleased that you could enjoy some lovely birdsong.
    Written February 28, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Carol S
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    We loved the mail boat trip. The commentary from the driver was fascinating and heartfelt. Highly recommended to adults. Children may not find it occupied then enough.
    Written February 10, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Carol S Thank you for your review, we are really pleased to hear that you enjoyed your time on the Mail Boat with us!
    Written February 28, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    jane
    Shanghai, China1 contribution
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dec 2019 • Solo
    we only saw 2 birds on the island and some other animals on the way from afar.
    to be honest, Picton and nearby is not good place to see wildlife.
    Written January 8, 2020
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Isabella
    4 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Oct 2019
    We had a great time on this trip, very knowledgeable and friendly skippers and staff and they took us to some remote and unique locations in the sounds. We saw baby penguins and various birds and wildlife and got a feel for life in the remote wilderness of the sounds. Can definitely recommend.
    Written October 14, 2019
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Isabella-Adventure Thanks for your review, we are very happy to hear that our staff took good care of you and showed you the very best that the Queen Charlotte Sounds has to offer - we are so lucky to be able to call this our 'backyard'. We hope to see you in Picton again some other time, Kind Regards
    Written October 21, 2019
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Sally-on-the-go
    Nelson, New Zealand65 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Apr 2018 • Friends
    Beachcomber does a fantastic job all around -- the boat was excellent, crew very knowledgeable and friendly, and the experience top-flight. Dolphins swam alongside the boat for awhile. On Motuara Island, we were lucky enough to find two blue penguins inside one of the nesting boxes, and the piwakawakas and robins followed us the entire hike to the top and back down. DOC does a great job making this island so special for visitors.
    Written April 4, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hi Sally , Thank you for taking the time to write us a review. We are pleased to hear as a company we have provided a great service all round.We really are blessed to have such incredible staff working for us willing to go the extra mile. Motuara Island really is a secret hidden gem with so much to offer and by the sound sounds of it Mother Nature delivered on your visit ! Thanks again for your review.
    Written April 24, 2018
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    AnGeLo B
    Auckland Central, New Zealand57 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2018 • Couples
    Amazing service from beachcomber cruise. The captain was very helpful in explaining everything during the cruise and was an exceptional service
    Written February 22, 2018
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Hey AngeloAnojan Thanks for your TripAdvisor review! I'm very happy to hear that you had a great time on our cruise and that you enjoyed our services, that's very good feedback!
    Written February 23, 2018
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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