Beachcomber Cruises, Picton Review

The mail tour was great and gives a extensive view of Malborough Sounds

I used beachcombers for the Queen Charlotte Cruise & Track Adventures pass and loved it! The ride out to Ship's Cove we saw bottlenose dolphins and a seal. The captain was very knowledgeable. THey port your luggage from bay to bay so you only have to carry a day pack on the walk. THe walk is absolutely beautiful! I don't know why it's not a great hike! Great service, loved not having to carry my luggage. Just an overall great time.

An absolute spectacular cruise around Queen Charlotte Sound without the heavy tourist flavour. It provides you with an excellent opportunity to visit places around Queen Charlotte Sound where tourists won't visit. The tour visits a lot of remote properties in Queen Charlotte Sound and the commentaries are very informative and tour guides are friendly and welcoming. The cruise lasts for around 4 hours with a 20 minutes stop at Ship Cove. Each day it has a different route which adds to the fun. Definitely recommended to all!

Superb crossing, team and captain very friendly! The service is excellent and the captain explains a lot of things ... the only concern is that for foreigners, with the sound of the engine, we do not understand everything. Maybe small printed cards would overcome this small inconvenience!

My husband and i booked tour yesterday on your boat we were very disappointed with the day we were dropped off at Punga Cove which is a walking track as we are not walkers we had to sit around for 6 hours with nothing to do.When we booked we told staff this,we expected a tour of the sounds and a drop off for lunch

Found Beachcomber by accident in Picton while I was looking for a ride out to Ship Cove. The first impression was way beyond expectations. Jessica, the manager allowed me to charge my eBike (nobody else allowed me to do that before in Picton), they offered me a water taxi ride on a world champion rate, they named my duck and my bike, we had a good laugh and the skipper was telling us stories on the 3 hours ride. 5 stars well deserved! Best service in the region. Keep up the good work team. :)

Mail boat service to Arapawa Island to stay & then return 4 days later. Friendly team, felt comfortable & safe onboard. Interesting commentary, love how they give the local dogs on jetty a treat at each place. Good price

We had a confirmed reservation for a water taxi leaving at 9:00 am with a pick up return at 11:30 am. We didn't leave until 9:25 am and Beachcombers left us stranded. At 12:05 pm, we asked another operator to call Beachcombers on our behalf. Beachcombers said they would send out another boat right away. Although only 10 minutes away, It didn't arrive until 12:25 pm, making us late for another excursion and no time for lunch. The boat driver was unprofessional, unapologetic and arrogant. He kept saying "no problem".

Thank you to our skipper Ryan for our cruise on Monday morning he is so informative letting us know about the beautiful n stunning sounds we slowed down to see a pod of dolphins playing around, some jumping around our boat, a seal heating fresh surimi for breakfast. So informative, n thank you Ryan for information

A wonderful afternoon cruising around the Sounds delivering mail. Captain Julian very informative and likes a joke too so don't believe everything he says! Commentary was audible on upper deck but difficult to hear on the enclosed lower deck.
It was a very warm day but the winds were strong, so got quite chilly on the upper deck - take a jacket, make sure you have plenty of sunscreen too. Tea and coffee available but you can take your own drinks and snacks.
You can help hand the mail over but get in quick if you want to do that.
All in all, a fun afternoon.

Wonderful cruise in Marlborough Sounds. Each day a different route so check which one. Commentary is good.

Was very pleasant to ride on this tour, but it's nothing out of the ordinary. You have a great view of a beautiful landscape and pure nature, but ultimately you accompany the captain on his suitcase transport tour.

The stop on the small island is nice, but it is enough 10 minutes then you have already seen everything. There are hiking opportunities on the island, but you should clarify whether you can do this between tours.

Really enjoyed the trip, especially visiting Ship Cove,.a major part of NZ's history.

We had an EXCELLENT experience with Beachcomber! We wanted to do a section of the Queen Charlotte Track as a day trip so we booked Beachcomber to drop us of in Ship Cove and pick us up in Endeavour Inlet. We did a stop at a bird sanctuary on the way over as well.

We lucked out on weather (which was a bonus) but our captain was a wealth of information and gave us quite the tour as we moved through the Sounds. Him and his family have lived in the area for generations and you could tell he loved his home!

Real pleasure sailing with them. Wish I would have realised that Top 10 Holiday Park members get a discount before I booked! Oh well - will use it next time but if you are a member snag a deal :)

Great Trip. Very interesting seeing how people live out on the sound off grid! Lovely places to come and stay too!

A supremely relaxing way to see the sounds. Actually delivering mail and watching people meet the boat was a surreal experience. Highly recommend!

What a stunning 4 hr trip! The only way to see Marlborough Sound and a definite 'must do' for anyone visiting NZ. The skipper's commentary was excellent covering wildlife, eco-management, history, places to stay and endless informative anecdotes about the many properties that are dotted around the myriad tiny bays. Would highly recommend this trip.

We did the track last weekend (4 of us) and found this service great value for money. The staff were super friendly and helpful, and advised of the best places to camp so we didn't have to carry our packs too far. Super responsive and even when I went back to clarify things a few times I never felt like they didn't have the time to help me, which was great!! Would highly recommend :-)

Amazing staff and nice tour in the sounds (including a few coves). We could see a bit of the wildlife with blue penguins and a group of dusky dolphins. Our skipper had lots of funny stories about the places we went to. Definitely recommend!

Nice ride out to Ship Cove on an absolute stunning day. Really friendly staff and a lot of information during the cruise.

An excellent way to get to know the Queen Charlotte Sound. A variety of offerings from this locally owned company.

Wow what an awesome way to see around the sounds and the skipper was very friendly and enjoyed our trip 100%

We had a great trip out to Ship Cove to see the Endeavour Replica, Spirit of NZ anchored offshore and the wakas on the beach for Totaranui 250 celebrations. Dolphins everywhere on the trip out. Thanks Beachcomber. We are going again tomorrow to join the flotilla into Picton.

Great tour, the captain had lots of local knowledge to share, amazing scenery

Positively enjoyed the whole experience. Very well organized, staff excellent and Ryan gave a great commentary. Would highly recommend

Awesome day out in the sounds with Beachcomber. Staff were friendly and helpful. Loved every minute.

We had a great afternoon out on the mail boat a highlight of our trip to Picton. A definite 'must do' when in Picton.

Absolutely loved it. A very comfortable vessel and an extremely great skipper Ryan. You could just sense his absolute love of what he does and his friendly and knowledgeable personality made for an unforgettable trip. Definitely recommend the stunning beauty of the Marlborough Sounds and its people!

My partner and I were the only persons who booked this boat for cruise. There were around eight people who were also on the boat but they are locals and they took the boat as a public transport and got off the boat halfway. As a result, only three people spent all three hours on the boat: my partner, me and the boat driver. Before the cruise started, the driver talked to us and suggested not going to Ship Cove because it is windy and we can go to Furneaux Lodge to have some coffee. I politely rejected. Going to Ship Cove is the reason why we booked this cruise.

The company advertised that there would be live commentary about the area and its history. This is totally fake as the driver did not tell us anything. NOT EVEN ONE SENTENCE. The only time he talked to us was when we got on and off the boat. Also, on Tripadvisor and the brochure, it says visitors will have 30 mins on Ship Cove. But when we got off the boat at the cove, we were told to stay only 15 mins because there is not much to see, only the monument.

The boat driver looked pretty laid back possibly because there were only two visitors on the boat. He sat on a high chair and occasionally drove the boat using his shoes and legs. He is a cool guy with a pair of sunglasses and a poker face during the whole cruise.

The cruise was not 3.5 hours long. When we got off the boat, it was 12:04.

I think because there were only two visitors so we had very special treatment. I ve done probably over 100 cruises in several countries and this is definitely the worst experience. I did water taxi in Abel Tasman two days ago with another company, that one is way better.

Amazing experience with superb service. Very friendly staff and the captain was very informative and friendly too. Would recommend to anyone who visits Picton. Lovely cruise with scenic route. Commentary all the way and a stopover at Ship Cove. Incredible experience

The Queen Charlotte sounds mail run is excellent value for money. The afternoon on the mail run everything came together for a fun day.
Thank you Bryan for your humor and informative chats . Good 1st run.

Great day out. The captain was very informative and the Surrounds amazing. Overall a great day, a bit long and repetitive thou.

Very interesting. Very knowledgeable crew and good coffee and tea. Anzac biscuits were very nice.

The mailboat cruise is great value. Pick your day as the route varies. No Sunday service for the mail run but other trips available.

Excellent service our guide Phill was courteous and very knowledgeable + he just know where are the dolphins! The mail delivery is very much worth it !!!

Fantastic trip
Great scenery friendly skipper who knew a lot about the sounds
Very clean and tidy boat
Great for families too loads of comfy seating

A fantastic afternoon down the Queen Charlotte Sounds on the Mailboat trip, into East Bay on Arapawa Island, across the Sound to Ship Cove, Captain Cook discovering NZ in the 1800s, Bay of Many Coves where Furneaux Lodge and Bay of Many Coves Resort are.m Coming out of there we had a pod of Dolphins frolicking around then riding the boat's wake and then back to Picton Harbour. We delivered mail & provisions, picked up walkers/mountain track riders to and from the Queen Charlotte Track as well as fed a biscuit to the local dog resident on the wharf. A great day.

Good trip, helpful friendly staff and amazing service. Will use again and recommend to other people use them when doing Quwen Charlotte tmTrack and other walks in Marlborough

AMAZING! Definitely the highlight of our entire holiday. We had skipper Phil who was brilliant. I learnt a lot, not getting bored once. We saw seals, special birds, and for me the best part DOLPHINS!!!! Lots and lots of of beautiful dolphins playing around our boat, flipping and splashing. There were even many baby dolphins about the length of your arm swimming beside their parents. A beautiful experience in a stunning environment.

Didn't work out the cost separately, but the trip to and from Ship Cove was excellent in terms of comfort, service and information. The boat offers great stability and excellent viewing combined with shelter from the weather if necessary. The skipper was great with his attention to the environment and sharing it with the passengers.

We did the Motuara bird watch cruise. The island is small but you only get an hour there which is just enough for a slow walk up and down. We saw very friendly NZ robins and a few other types. Also a couple of penguin chicks in their nest boxes. The amazing sound was the cicadas which you could see flying and sounding. The cruise includes a brief stop at Ship Cove where Captain Cook landed and many other stops on the mail boat trip.

Great morning, Ryan -Skipper was so helpful and had a real passion for explaining the Queen Charlotte Egg

Great trip very good host Julian who was both informative and entertaining. Recommend as a wonderful way to experience the beautiful Marlborough Sounds.

Loved our trip around the Sounds last Monday, so informative by Ryan, & staff excellent, Thank you! for such a lovely & enjoyable day.

We took a water taxi from Picton to Shipcove to tramp a couple days of the Queen Charlotte Track and then got picked up from Punga Cove. The booking service was super easy, just had to call up and chat about what were we wanted to be dropped off and collected, and they booked us right in.
Our lovely Captain Ryan was highly entertaining and a gold mine of information.
A little expensive but a similar price to all the other water taxi services around Picton.
An all round positive experience and will definitely travel with them again.

Brilliant day out!
Did a 4 and a half hour mail run around the Sounds. Our captain was brilliant with an entertaining and educational commentary.
The boat has both inside and top side seating. Definitely bring a warm jacket if you plan on staying top side.

We had a great day out, didn't run into any pirates, which was arrrrright!

We took the ferry to the start queen charlotte track. Turned out to be a nice cruise as well. Another nice thing was that pick up day after the hike was flexible meaning we could give a call to change the date if we wanted to.

Great service. Had a wonderful time crossing to Ships cove with them!

Been on here a few times on the mail fun. Cheap way to get around the sounds. Gorgeous scenery.

Excellent service and friendly staff.
Alex, really appreciate your go-to-extra-mile service.
Many thanks.

Great day out. Get ready for the unexpected in a good way. The boat driver has a tremendous amount of local knowledge and great sense of humour. He is a friend to everyone especially the people living in the sounds who rely on him to bring their mail or anything else they need nothing is a problem.

Good cruise to spend an afternoon. Friendly driver with great commentary. As they deliver mail and goods to the remote parts of the Sounds, he had a good kowledge of the locations and the people who lived there as well as the history of the areas visited.

Friendly and informative staff. Great cruise and the QT track was sensational. Beautiful location!

We used them as water taxi to the Lazy Fish, awesome service, friendly staff, they even stopped when we saw the dolphins which was amazing. Highly reccomend them to all visiting Picton!

Lovely staff, very helpful and friendly. Really enjoyed our water taxi ride to and from Kaipupu sanctuary.

My husband I did three return trips on Beachcomber in the last few days. The first was the mail boat which was really fun and interesting. Our captain( Julian) made the commentary really informative and fun. He even spotted some bottle nosed dolphins and made a quick detour to see them. The Dolphins rode the bow of the boat for a bit which was delightful to watch. It was a lovely experience seeing the sounds from the water and watching as the various people and their dogs picked up their mail.
The second tripnwe went to an island with a bird sanctuary first for a Walkman then to ShipmCove where we walked to Furneaux Lodge. We had a young man driving who was very pleasant and pointed out a few birds and a blue penguin along the way. The final trip we did the?23 km hike tonPunga Cove and again had Julian at the wheel. He had us laughing once again and found some dusky dolphins en route. The water taxi was lovelyband visas, stable and comfortable, even offering tea and ciffee on the return trips. I highly recommend Beachcomber.

Great cruise through the Sounds. Great skipper and commentary during the cruise.