One of the couple boat operators we used in the Abel Tasman park. While there is no significant…read moredifference between all of them, I would say Sea Shuttle is less crowded. Ultimately the choice will come down to the timetables of their departure/pickups, as this will define how much of hiking you get to do. They also have three day passes at about $150 NZ $, which is a great deal if you are staying around the park for a few days.

I had a tour with Kaiteriteri Kayaks and they used the Sea Shuttle bus to pick me up from Nelson…read more Our driver was HILARIOUS and such a joy. It's obvious he loves his job and is passionate about the area. I didn't ride on the Sea Shuttle boat, but it looked very crowded.

Our eyes and minds were opened to a more thorough appreciation of the sights, sounds and history of…read morethe stunning Abel Tasman National Park and the adjoining Tonga Island Marine Reserve. As amateur birders we were thrilled to see all the species that were new to us. Stewart tailored the excursion to our interests and still had plenty of time to include lunch on the beach, walk to a waterfall, gliding thru many secluded inlets with crystal clear water and watching eagle rays swim right under us. Stewart certainly is without doubt the most knowledgeable guide we have ever had the privilege to be with. The best part is that he has the personality and ability to communicate scientific information in a form that is entertaining without being stuffy, boring or intimidating. We thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of our day and we will never forget this high point of our month in New Zealand.

We had a wonderful day with Sam Kuprus doing an out and back hike on the Routeburn Track. He was…read moredelightful and very knowledgeable! We are American and he taught us so much about the unique flora and fauna of NZ, discussed conservation and anti predation efforts. He also answered many questions we had about this beautiful and welcoming country. What an amazing and gorgeous forest walk, with epic waterfalls at the top, the azure waters of the Routeburn accompanying us most of the way!

Paula and Phil planned out a fantastic day of wine touring during our visit to Queenstown. We had…read morenever been to New Zealand prior to our trip and they did a wonderful job of recommending places to visit and eat and we took their advice on several stops. They were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed our day with them!! Thanks again from the guys from Austin, Texas!!

For $79 pp we purchased a wine tour wristband @ were given a map.. Vans stopped at 26 wineries &…read moreliquor themed venues. Vans came every :30. It took :20 minutes to get to Blenheim for our first winery. A wine museum, gift shop, gin distillery, confectionery, vine village, beer garden ... we drove through magnificent wine country with rolling hills, sheep & of course vineyards. Our driver was knowledgeable sharing info about the area, wines & stops. There were people running to the van @ he was frequently running late. We had time to stop at two wineries for :30 and one for an hour lunch. At the end of the day they checked that everyone made it back to the port. We were told that we shouldn't have an issue getting lunch at any stop. We wouldn't need reservations today. However, there were cruise ships tours & Viacor tours that tied up many kitchens & wine tastings. We would have like to make more stops.

We spent a fantastic day visiting wineries, amazing lunch, and chocolate factory with Cam and his…read moreteam on our private tour arranged by Hop 'n Grape. We were picked up in a great coach at the port (shore excursion) and taken to several wineries in Blenheim and the Marlborough area. We had an amazing lunch and tasting at one local vineyard they put together for us. Additionally, we had many great tastings throughout the day, learned about New Zealand's wine making industry and living in this beautiful part of the country. Cam made this visit so personal and tailored it to our group. We met with winemakers and a local brewmaster. If you go to wine country, Hop n Grape will not disappoint. It was one of the highlights of our trip to New Zealand

"Explore Marlborough Wineries By Bike" was a ship tour offered to us while in the Port of Picton…read more We tend to opt for a small group tour while in port, but this caught our eye. It would be a bit physical, scenic and at the same time some fun comparing New Zealand's wine country to our own here in California. This tour had to be one of the best wine tours we've been on. Our guide, Andy picked us up at the ship in a comfortable small van, and narrated along the way as we drove inland to where "Explore Marlborough Wine Tours" has their gear and office. When we arrived we were all able to outfit ourselves with the correct height bicycle, set the correct seat height, get situated with correct helmets, learn the gears, and given safety vests. The bicycles were like new and top notch with a basket for your belongings and a bottle of water & a treat. We went over all safety instructions, and tested our bicycles prior to commencing our ride. We had three really nice winery stops and really enjoyed the ride. The narrative by Andrew when we stopped in the vineyards was so great and super informative with the field harvesting process. Our last stop on the bike ride was at Mahi Winery, which was our favorite. Beautiful grounds, beautiful architecture, beautiful wines! Unbelievably hospitable and generous with their wine, and the fantastic lunch that was prepared by their fabulous chef "Marcia". I'm still trying to replicate the potato green bean dish, the corn with cucumber salad, and the recipe used for the salmon. Oh my gosh it was incredible! After the fantastic lunch, we all jumped in the van and drove back to our starting point for anyone that wanted to purchase wine before driving back to the ship. Sometimes you wonder about your choices of excursions, but at the end this was a no brainer and one of our favorite excursions. We highly recommend this tour, and would probably do it again if it was in our backyard.

From the owner: Explore Marlborough Wine Tours runs guided biking and driving wine tours of the Marlborough wine…read moreregion.

I was recently on a tour of New Zealand and I have to say this one of the highlights of the trip!…read more The Seafood Odyssea Cruise departs from Townwharf 5 at Picton Marina and is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon cruising through the Queen Charlotte Sound, one of therein sounds that make up the Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand. This is a family owned business and the Captain, Crew and Chef could not have been nicer or more attentive. All the food is locally sourced and fresh. On the day we departed we enjoyed watching them grill Regal Salmon on the back of the boat, enjoyed fresh GreenShelled Mussels (from the farm they showed us in the water) and lots of great Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines. The boat has a range of indoor and outdoor areas for viewing the beautiful scenery. Some of my favorite New Zealand pictures are from this cruise with my friends on a beautiful sunny day on the water with a glass (or two) or wine. This is definitely worth the money!