15 Marlborough & Picton Tours That Justify a Whole Day

Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise from Picton - From Beachcomber Cruises in Picton to the open Sound

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 541 reviews · 4 hours · from $75Our pick

Review of the Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise from Picton, with route details, wildlife, price value, practical tips, and booking advice.

“Highly recommend.Wonderful commentary and history of the area by the captain who encouraged"come up and have a chat and happy to answer questions"It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and was warmly greeted at reception, narrative on map,showing todays route and areas of deliveries and these were available on board too.”

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Beyond the Vines – Full-Day Marlborough Wine Tasting Tour

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

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

Review of the six-hour Marlborough wine tour from Picton or Blenheim, with five wineries, small groups, tastings, lunch, and practical tips.

“Such a fab day. Me and a friend went together. I always wanted to visit the Marlborough region for its amazing wines. Gavin the host and driver was great chat and very hospitable. Would definitely recommend doing this tour. We were lucky with the group we had too, everyone was great chat!”

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Queen Charlotte Track: Cruise & Self-Guided Hike from Picton

3.Queen Charlotte Track: Cruise & Self-Guided Hike from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 383 reviews · 8h 30m · from $66

Review of the Queen Charlotte Track cruise and hike from Picton, with route choices, costs, fitness advice, timing, wildlife, and practical tips.

“We missed out on the 5 day Queen Charlotte walk as it was full but the one day walk from Furneaux lodge to Punga Cove was 14 kms and a great compromise as we now have more time to explore the South Island. Communication was excellent and the staff were very attentive.”

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Coastal Pacific Train Journey from Picton to Christchurch

4.Coastal Pacific Train Journey from Picton to Christchurch

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

Review the Coastal Pacific from Picton to Christchurch, with coastal views, seating tips, onboard food, timing, value, and practical advice.

“The viewing car is awesome take some water and pictures lot's of pictures it is a trip to remember the staff are amazing”

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Full Day Iconic Mail Boat Cruise

5.Full Day Iconic Mail Boat Cruise

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

Cruise New Zealand’s Pelorus Sound by working mail boat, spotting wildlife, meeting remote locals, and enjoying sharp local commentary from Havelock.

“Remember to take your lunch & warm clothing, fabulous day, Mark & Ross were amazing hosts, so lucky to see a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Ross's commentary of the history & knowledge of the area was excellent.”

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Self-Guided Wine Tours by Bike with Lorelle & Greg

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

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

Explore Marlborough’s wineries by bike with Lorelle and Greg, including shuttle pickup, maps, wine panniers, and flexible cellar door visits.

“Just the most amazing way to see the local wine cellar doors. Lorelle and Greg are fantastic hosts and they really know how to put you at ease even if you haven’t ridden a bike for a while. Don’t think about it, just do it. We were picked up froRead more”

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Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise

7.Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 295 reviews · from $75

Review of Picton’s Queen Charlotte Sound Mail Boat Cruise, with route details, pricing, boat tips, weather advice, and honest pros and cons.

“This trip was everything I hoped for. Jason ( skipper) is clearly very very committed to his land and sea . Rightfully proud and worried for its future, he educated all of us on the work that's been done, and to be done in the future. It was a beautiful day and I loved the peace and solace I felt being out on the water. We delivered mail to the remotest of areas in the Sound and dropped off a few residents along the way. The uniqueness of the job Jason has is wonderful. A man of many talents!It was truly wonderful and a day I won't forget. Picton is…”

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Full Day Winemakers Tour in Marlborough

8.Full Day Winemakers Tour in Marlborough

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

Explore Marlborough’s wineries, cellar doors, lunch spots, chocolate, and optional beer tasting on a relaxed small-group tour from Blenheim.

“We thoroughly enjoyed our day out with Cam to the vineyards. Allowed us ample time do enjoy each of the wineries and had great insider knowledge to add. The chocolate shop stop was an excellent addition. Definitely recommend this tour.”

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Marlborough Sounds and Ship Cove Cruise from Picton

9.Marlborough Sounds and Ship Cove Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 252 reviews · 3 hours · from $66

Cruise Queen Charlotte Sound from Picton to historic Ship Cove, with live commentary, wildlife chances, and three hours of superb coastal views.

“Captain Jason was lovely and did a great job in telling us about the environment and what needs to happen to restore it. An important reminder of what we need to do to protect NZ.”

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InterIslander Ferry – Picton to Wellington

10.InterIslander Ferry – Picton to Wellington

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

Review of the InterIslander ferry from Picton to Wellington, with Cook Strait views, baggage details, costs, boarding tips, and practical advice.

“It was hugely beautiful vessel. Boarding was a breeze, staff very cordial. Views, outstanding, ofcourse (did n't see whales, just kidding).Highly recommended”

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Marlborough: Full-Day Self-Guided Biking Wine Tour

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

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

Cycle Marlborough’s flat vineyard roads, visit nearby cellar doors, and enjoy a flexible self-guided wine day with hotel transfers from Blenheim or Renwick.

“Great day, total freedom as to where you visit and all the wineries are within a very close distance to each other”

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

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

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

Cycle Marlborough’s flat vineyard roads on a self-guided wine tour with hotel pickup, bike hire, maps, bottle service, and e-bike options.

“A very good way to do the tastings. pre-Bookings at vineyards just needed for lunch or at Cloudy Bay and Fromm.”

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Discover Marlborough Wine – Afternoon Marlborough Wine Tour

13.Discover Marlborough Wine – Afternoon Marlborough Wine Tour

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

Review of Marlborough Wine Tours’ four-winery afternoon trip from Picton or Blenheim, with tastings, transport, guides, value, and practical tips.

“We really enjoyed this tour. Another couple was also on our tour so there were only four of us. Sam was an outstanding guide. He was very informative. We learned a great deal, not only about the vineyards but also about the region. We visited four vineyards, including large and very small estates, and experienced some wonderful wines.”

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Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton

14.Motuara Wildlife Sanctuary Tour and Dolphin Cruise from Picton

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 180 reviews · from $104

Review of E-Ko’s Picton wildlife cruise to Motuara Island, with dolphins, seals, seabirds, guided walks, pricing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Beautiful day and comfortable on the boat that we could go in and out of the covering. Lots of knowledge - we saw so much but when we saw the dolphins the driver was in a rush to leave we all would have enjoyed seeing more. Heads up you need to bring your own water - recommend it should be in the description. It still was a wonderful tour.”

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The Hobbit Barrel Run Rafting Tour on the Pelorus River

15.The Hobbit Barrel Run Rafting Tour on the Pelorus River

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

Review the Hobbit Barrel Run rafting tour on New Zealand’s Pelorus River, with movie sites, guided paddling, transport, price, and practical tips.

“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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