Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise
5
Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise
Av E-Ko Tours
Hva er Travellers' Choice?
Tripadvisor gir ut Travellers' Choice-priser til overnattingssteder, attraksjoner og restauranter som konsekvent får gode anmeldelser fra reisende og er rangert i de øverste 10 % av steder på Tripadvisor.
Laveste pris garantertBestill nå og betal senereGratis avbestilling
Alder: 0–99 maks. 30 per gruppe
Varighet: 4 t
Starttidspunkt: Sjekk tilgjengelighet
Mobilbillett
Oppfyller retningslinjene for dyrevelferd
Direkte veiledning: Engelsk
Mer
- Profesjonell guide
- Live kommentarer om bord
- Nasjonalpark avgifter
- Drikkevarer og snacks
- Te, kaffe, varm sjokolade og sjokolade kjeks på returreisen
- Gratis lokalt prisvinnende Wine on PM turné
- GRATIS kikkert for å hjelpe deg med å oppdage dyreliv og art ID-kort
- Inngang/adgang – E-Ko Tours
- Inngang/adgang – Marlborough Sounds
Det som ikke er inkludert- Tips
- Hotell henting og avreise
- Startpunkt:
- E-Ko Tours, 1 Wellington Street, Picton 7220, New ZealandFølg den BLÅ linjen fra Besøksinformasjonssenteret med havet på venstre side til du kommer til E-Ko Tours - se opp for selen! Innsjekking 15 minutter før avgang
Sluttpunkt:Denne aktiviteten avsluttes på møtestedet. - Ingen rullestoltilgang
- Tilrettelagt for barnevogn
- Nær offentlig transport
- Seter for spedbarn tilgjengelig
Hvis du har spørsmål om tilgjengelighet, hjelper vi deg gjerne. Ring nummeret nedenfor, og oppgi produktkode: 29441P7- Morgenturen har avgang kl. 08.30 på cruiseskipsdager
- GRATIS bruk av kikkert om bord og artsidentifikasjonskort
- Underlagt gunstige værforhold. Ved avbestilling på grunn av dårlig vær vil du få muligheten til en alternativ dato eller full refusjon
- Familievennlig med mange barns aktiviteter om bord
- De fleste reisende kan delta
- Minimumstall gjelder. Det er mulighet for kansellering etter bekreftelse dersom det ikke er nok passasjerer til å oppfylle kravene. I tilfelle dette skjer, vil du bli tilbudt en alternativ eller full refusjon
- Innsjekking 15 minutter før avgangstid
- Fungerer under alle værforhold, vennligst kle deg passende
- Denne opplevelsen krever godt vær. Hvis den avbestilles på grunn av dårlig vær, blir du tilbudt en annen dato eller full refusjon
- Denne opplevelsen krever et minimum antall reisende. Hvis den avbestilles fordi minimumsantallet ikke oppfylles, blir du tilbudt en annen dato/opplevelse eller full refusjon
- Denne turen/aktiviteten har maksimum 30 reisende
- For full refusjon avbestiller du minst 24 timer før startdatoen for opplevelsen.
- Hvis du har spørsmål om denne omvisningen eller trenger hjelp med å bestille, hjelper vi deg gjerne. Ring nummeret nedenfor, og oppgi produktkode: 29441P7
Fra
kr 974,44
per voksen
Velg dato og reisende
Inntekter påvirker opplevelsene som er omtalt på denne siden. Finn ut mer.
Lignende opplevelser
Reiserute
- 1 Wellington Street, Picton 7220, New ZealandFølg den BLÅ linjen fra Besøksinformasjonssenteret med havet på venstre side til du kommer til E-Ko Tours - se opp for selen! Innsjekking 15 minutter før avgang
- 1
- 2
Vi utfører kontroller på anmeldelser.
Tripadvisors tilnærming til anmeldelser
Hver Tripadvisor-anmeldelse går gjennom et automatisert sporingssystem før den legges ut. Dette systemet samler inn informasjon som svarer på følgende spørsmål: Hvordan, hva, hvor og når. Hvis systemet oppdager noe som muligens strider imot retningslinjene våre for fellesskapet, blir anmeldelsen ikke publisert.
Når systemet oppdager et problem, kan en anmeldelse automatisk avvises, sendes til anmelderen for bekreftelse eller gjennomgås manuelt av teamet vårt av innholdsspesialister. Disse spesialistene jobber døgnet rundt for å opprettholde kvaliteten av anmeldelsene på nettstedet vårt.
Teamet vårt sjekker hver anmeldelse som er lagt ut på nettstedet og bestrides av fellesskapet vårt for ikke å møte retningslinjene våre for fellesskapet.
Finn ut mer om moderering av anmeldelser.
5.0
60 anmeldelser
Ypperlig
52
Svært bra
5
Gjennomsnittlig
2
Dårlig
0
Forferdelig
1
Disse anmeldelsene har blitt oversatt automatisk fra originalspråket.
Denne tjenesten kan inneholde oversettelser levert av Google. Google fraskriver seg alle garantier, uttrykte eller underforståtte, knyttet til oversettelser, inkludert alle garantier for nøyaktighet, pålitelighet og eventuelle implisitte garantier for salgbarhet, egnethet for et bestemt formål og beskyttelse mot forfalskninger.
GrandTour437736
1 bidrag
feb. 2025 • Par
Excellent excursion with Dan and Courtney. Saw lots of wildlife snd learned s lot about the history of the area. One of our best excursions in New Zealand!
Skrevet 4. februar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Ron J
5 bidrag
Hanna and Dan were super friendly and we enjoyed a lovely day on the sound. Saw many birds, some dolphin and seals. Would recommend for any age.
Skrevet 31. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Vacation24988431009
1 bidrag
jan. 2025 • Familie
The day was clear and fine and we saw a large pod of Hector Dolphins together with King Shags and a seal eating a fish in the water. We were also able to go ashore were Captain Cook landed 5 times at Ship Cove. Andy and Nicki were knowledgable, friendly and did a great job to maximise our experience and our understanding of the Sounds. We could not think of anything to make our time more exciting or interesting. We recommend booking with Andy and Nicki. Their boat was stable, clean and not too noisy. The sound system was excellent and it was no trouble to hear all they said. Exceptional.
Skrevet 28. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
jane
2 bidrag
des. 2024 • Familie
We saw so many animals right up close and the time just flew by. An excellent trip well organised and led. We though 4 hours on a boat might be too long but it wasn't the case at all.
Skrevet 26. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Luce
Montreal, Canada8 bidrag
jan. 2025 • Par
We loved our ride. We saw lots of dolphins playing around the boat. Thanks to our guides Cam and Dan.
Skrevet 24. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Marilyn Cohen de Villiers
Johannesburg, Sør-Afrika11 bidrag
E-ko Tours Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise – was it worth it?
You know how sometimes you’re really, really looking forward to something – but you don’t want to be too excited about it because, well, it may not live up to your hopeful expectations, and you may be bitterly disappointed?
That’s how I was feeling as the time for our long awaited, highly anticipated #Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise with # E-ko Tours approached. I’d checked out all the various
“dolphin cruises” offered from Picton on the Marlborough Sounds. There were also several
options to simply explore the Marlborough Sounds, without directly mentioning dolphins. I read the various reviews of the different offerings. And after much agonising and weighing up
the pros and cons, I made my decision. The E-ko Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise it would be. It wasn’t the cheapest offering so that made choosing it especially difficult given that I’d be paying for it with funny money (aka the very weak South African Rand). But it
billed itself as a Dolphin Cruise – although it also mentioned that we’d “set foot” on #Motuara Island Wildlife Sanctuary; and it also “guaranteed” that I wouldn’t get seasick.
I wasn’t too concerned about the setting foot on #Motuara Island part – I just wanted to see dolphins. And I liked the idea of not getting seasick too.
I’d jokingly referred to our intended
“dolphin cruise” as the New Zealand equivalent of an African safari: instead of lion, leopard and elephant, we’d (with a bit of luck) see dolphins, seals and penguins. In other words, this
was a ‘sea safari’ rather than a ‘bush safari’.
I was closer to the truth than I’d realised.
So off Jenny Michaeli and I went on the morning of our sea safari, arriving at the E-ko Tour office on the Picton waterfront at 7.30am – in plenty of time for our 7.45am briefing. I’d
wondered why we needed a briefing for a three-hour cruise. But when our
guide/host/deckhand/tea-and-coffee maker – aka Will Dewar-Cutts – started speaking, I had a
niggling feeling that this tour was probably going to deliver a whole lot more than I’d been
expecting.
And I was right.
Did we see dolphins? Indeed we did. Right near the end of our cruise, Skipper @Andy Endersey gently guided our boat towards a pod of about six to eight of the very rare, very
special Queen Charlotte subspecies of the South Island subspecies of Hector’s dolphin, of
which there are believed to be only around 35 in the world. With engines off, Will and Andy encouraged us to wave and cheer at the dolphins which would – if they felt so inclined –
approach the boat to engage with these strange, noisy, hairless creatures. And a couple of
them did! One actually turned on its side to eye us more clearly. After this encounter,
everyone compared their photos and videos of these amazing creatures to try and identify
them from their fins. (E-ko Tours has what could be called a set of line-up photos of each of
the Queen Charlotte #Hectors dolphins, with their identifying markings and names.) There
was some debate as to whether the dolphin who’d most engaged with us was Blotchy or
Spotty (or something).
So yes, we saw dolphins. But that was really just the cherry on the top of what had been the
most enlightening, enthralling, educational few hours I’ve been privileged to experience in
years!
I saw and learned about some of the incredible sea bird species that call the Marlborough
Sounds home: the Fluttering Shearwater, Will’s favourite bird not only because it is incredibly
cute, but because it is just the most incredible creature in terms of love, endurance, sharing
and caring. We also saw and learned about the Australasian Gannet; the King Shag; the
Pied Shag … and then (a first for Will who was almost jumping up and down with excitement
when he spotted it), a Sooty Shearwater. It seems Sooty Shearwaters don’t haunt the
Marlborough Sounds, but this one did, blissfully riding the gentle swells before skimming off
into the distance (hence the name Shearwater).
Will and Andy didn’t just identify the birds for us: they told us about them – where they live,
how they feed, and how some have survived virtual extinction.
And then we “set foot” on Motuara Island and I quickly discovered that this involved another
unexpected adventure. Motuara Island is a sanctuary in the strictest sense of the word. We
were forbidden to take anything onto the island apart from our cameras and a bottle of water.
No backpacks. No food. And we could only stay for one hour. That hour was spent climbing
up a steep path with lots of steps to the lookout at the top. Along the way we saw lots of
curious, friendly South Island Robins, sweet little birds who have never been preyed upon
and so have no fear of humans. They sometimes choose which humans they’ll approach
and jump onto their hand or foot. @JennyMichaeli had one jump onto her knee! She’s what
they call a “Robin Whisperer”. Thankfully, the Robins that I saw made no effort to approach
me! Perhaps they instinctively understood that with my bird phobia, I would not appreciate a
close/r encounter.
I’m not a great bird spotter but people in the group who had chosen to climb the hill spotted a
variety birds including Fantails, Saddlebacks and Warblers and I actually managed to see a
couple of them. But I heard, many times, the incredible range of calls of the Bell Bird.
There’s only one source of fresh water on Motuara Island, and several people from our
group stayed at the “bird pool” to watch for visitors. They too were not disappointed.
During our three-and-a-bit hour adventure we didn’t see penguins, but we did spot one lazy
fur seal sunning him/herself on a rock.
However of everything I saw and learned that morning, one of the most fascinating was
about the work the Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust is doing to eradicate the invasive
Pinus radiata, or wilding pine, which was introduced to New Zealand for logging about a century
ago.
I had noticed on the mountains rearing up on the sides of the Sounds what appeared to be
electricity pylons. Electricity pylons? Surely not! So – with the aid of the binoculars loaned to
every passenger on the boat by E-ko Tours – I took a closer look. The “pylons” were dead trees.
But why were there so many dead trees amongst the green, growing vegetation that carpets the
slopes? According to Will, those dead trees are rogue wilding pines which have escaped the
forestry/logging reservations. They invade areas of pristine indigenous vegetation and proceed
to change the pH of the soil, thus posing a threat to local flora. But even worse – the pine
needles are washed down into the Sounds where they build up into an underwater blanket
which smothers the marine life at the bottom of the ocean. Turns out E-ko Tours supports the
Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust.
It felt good to know that by choosing to take the E-ko Tours “Ultimate Marlborough Sounds Tour”,
I was contributing in a teeny-tiny way to the preservation of the Sounds and its wonderful,
amazing inhabitants.
When we disembarked at the Picton marina at the end of our adventure, I felt – happy. Truly at
peace with myself and world and filled with a deep sense of well-being.
E-ko Tours’ tagline is: “Nature and Wildlife Adventure for your Soul”. I couldn’t have said it
better myself.
** Disclaimer: I do not know anyone directly or indirectly associated with E-ko Tours.
Everything I have written here is my unsolicited, honest opinion. I was not asked to write this,
and I have not received anything in payment or kind for doing so. Any mistakes I may have
made are purely my own – we were given so much information I wouldn’t be surprised if I did
get one or two facts wrong. My apologies to Will and Andy for this.
You know how sometimes you’re really, really looking forward to something – but you don’t want to be too excited about it because, well, it may not live up to your hopeful expectations, and you may be bitterly disappointed?
That’s how I was feeling as the time for our long awaited, highly anticipated #Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise with # E-ko Tours approached. I’d checked out all the various
“dolphin cruises” offered from Picton on the Marlborough Sounds. There were also several
options to simply explore the Marlborough Sounds, without directly mentioning dolphins. I read the various reviews of the different offerings. And after much agonising and weighing up
the pros and cons, I made my decision. The E-ko Marlborough Sounds Ultimate Cruise it would be. It wasn’t the cheapest offering so that made choosing it especially difficult given that I’d be paying for it with funny money (aka the very weak South African Rand). But it
billed itself as a Dolphin Cruise – although it also mentioned that we’d “set foot” on #Motuara Island Wildlife Sanctuary; and it also “guaranteed” that I wouldn’t get seasick.
I wasn’t too concerned about the setting foot on #Motuara Island part – I just wanted to see dolphins. And I liked the idea of not getting seasick too.
I’d jokingly referred to our intended
“dolphin cruise” as the New Zealand equivalent of an African safari: instead of lion, leopard and elephant, we’d (with a bit of luck) see dolphins, seals and penguins. In other words, this
was a ‘sea safari’ rather than a ‘bush safari’.
I was closer to the truth than I’d realised.
So off Jenny Michaeli and I went on the morning of our sea safari, arriving at the E-ko Tour office on the Picton waterfront at 7.30am – in plenty of time for our 7.45am briefing. I’d
wondered why we needed a briefing for a three-hour cruise. But when our
guide/host/deckhand/tea-and-coffee maker – aka Will Dewar-Cutts – started speaking, I had a
niggling feeling that this tour was probably going to deliver a whole lot more than I’d been
expecting.
And I was right.
Did we see dolphins? Indeed we did. Right near the end of our cruise, Skipper @Andy Endersey gently guided our boat towards a pod of about six to eight of the very rare, very
special Queen Charlotte subspecies of the South Island subspecies of Hector’s dolphin, of
which there are believed to be only around 35 in the world. With engines off, Will and Andy encouraged us to wave and cheer at the dolphins which would – if they felt so inclined –
approach the boat to engage with these strange, noisy, hairless creatures. And a couple of
them did! One actually turned on its side to eye us more clearly. After this encounter,
everyone compared their photos and videos of these amazing creatures to try and identify
them from their fins. (E-ko Tours has what could be called a set of line-up photos of each of
the Queen Charlotte #Hectors dolphins, with their identifying markings and names.) There
was some debate as to whether the dolphin who’d most engaged with us was Blotchy or
Spotty (or something).
So yes, we saw dolphins. But that was really just the cherry on the top of what had been the
most enlightening, enthralling, educational few hours I’ve been privileged to experience in
years!
I saw and learned about some of the incredible sea bird species that call the Marlborough
Sounds home: the Fluttering Shearwater, Will’s favourite bird not only because it is incredibly
cute, but because it is just the most incredible creature in terms of love, endurance, sharing
and caring. We also saw and learned about the Australasian Gannet; the King Shag; the
Pied Shag … and then (a first for Will who was almost jumping up and down with excitement
when he spotted it), a Sooty Shearwater. It seems Sooty Shearwaters don’t haunt the
Marlborough Sounds, but this one did, blissfully riding the gentle swells before skimming off
into the distance (hence the name Shearwater).
Will and Andy didn’t just identify the birds for us: they told us about them – where they live,
how they feed, and how some have survived virtual extinction.
And then we “set foot” on Motuara Island and I quickly discovered that this involved another
unexpected adventure. Motuara Island is a sanctuary in the strictest sense of the word. We
were forbidden to take anything onto the island apart from our cameras and a bottle of water.
No backpacks. No food. And we could only stay for one hour. That hour was spent climbing
up a steep path with lots of steps to the lookout at the top. Along the way we saw lots of
curious, friendly South Island Robins, sweet little birds who have never been preyed upon
and so have no fear of humans. They sometimes choose which humans they’ll approach
and jump onto their hand or foot. @JennyMichaeli had one jump onto her knee! She’s what
they call a “Robin Whisperer”. Thankfully, the Robins that I saw made no effort to approach
me! Perhaps they instinctively understood that with my bird phobia, I would not appreciate a
close/r encounter.
I’m not a great bird spotter but people in the group who had chosen to climb the hill spotted a
variety birds including Fantails, Saddlebacks and Warblers and I actually managed to see a
couple of them. But I heard, many times, the incredible range of calls of the Bell Bird.
There’s only one source of fresh water on Motuara Island, and several people from our
group stayed at the “bird pool” to watch for visitors. They too were not disappointed.
During our three-and-a-bit hour adventure we didn’t see penguins, but we did spot one lazy
fur seal sunning him/herself on a rock.
However of everything I saw and learned that morning, one of the most fascinating was
about the work the Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust is doing to eradicate the invasive
Pinus radiata, or wilding pine, which was introduced to New Zealand for logging about a century
ago.
I had noticed on the mountains rearing up on the sides of the Sounds what appeared to be
electricity pylons. Electricity pylons? Surely not! So – with the aid of the binoculars loaned to
every passenger on the boat by E-ko Tours – I took a closer look. The “pylons” were dead trees.
But why were there so many dead trees amongst the green, growing vegetation that carpets the
slopes? According to Will, those dead trees are rogue wilding pines which have escaped the
forestry/logging reservations. They invade areas of pristine indigenous vegetation and proceed
to change the pH of the soil, thus posing a threat to local flora. But even worse – the pine
needles are washed down into the Sounds where they build up into an underwater blanket
which smothers the marine life at the bottom of the ocean. Turns out E-ko Tours supports the
Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust.
It felt good to know that by choosing to take the E-ko Tours “Ultimate Marlborough Sounds Tour”,
I was contributing in a teeny-tiny way to the preservation of the Sounds and its wonderful,
amazing inhabitants.
When we disembarked at the Picton marina at the end of our adventure, I felt – happy. Truly at
peace with myself and world and filled with a deep sense of well-being.
E-ko Tours’ tagline is: “Nature and Wildlife Adventure for your Soul”. I couldn’t have said it
better myself.
** Disclaimer: I do not know anyone directly or indirectly associated with E-ko Tours.
Everything I have written here is my unsolicited, honest opinion. I was not asked to write this,
and I have not received anything in payment or kind for doing so. Any mistakes I may have
made are purely my own – we were given so much information I wouldn’t be surprised if I did
get one or two facts wrong. My apologies to Will and Andy for this.
Skrevet 22. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Road30624578559
1 bidrag
jan. 2025 • Familie
Had the best trip. Will, the guide and Andy the pilot were so good, providing explanations about the fur seal, birds including a really rare one that Will hadn't seen on previous trips and then dolphins, just to top off the trip. Highly recommend to all
Skrevet 14. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Wendy B
12 bidrag
des. 2024 • Par
Wonderful experience! Highly recommend E-Ko tour guide Will for his depth of knowledge and passion for the local wildlife and skipper Andy for spotting so many of them.
We saw many varieties of birds in the water, on the wing and on the bird sanctuary, including 30 rare king shags on a rock! Also a beautiful fur seal sunbathing and several rare Hectors dolphins swam right up to our boat.
The tour company is very committed to ecotourism and followed all the guidelines for visiting Motorua bird sanctuary (unlike another group we observed who brought bags and food onto the island).
An unforgettable experience - not to be missed.
We saw many varieties of birds in the water, on the wing and on the bird sanctuary, including 30 rare king shags on a rock! Also a beautiful fur seal sunbathing and several rare Hectors dolphins swam right up to our boat.
The tour company is very committed to ecotourism and followed all the guidelines for visiting Motorua bird sanctuary (unlike another group we observed who brought bags and food onto the island).
An unforgettable experience - not to be missed.
Skrevet 14. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Andreas K
13 bidrag
Great event with Super Guide , we saw dolphins and orcas, everything was super explained and if necessary was changed uncomplicated.When we heard the orcas in the bay we went immediately.👍
Skrevet 13. januar 2025
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
nzcakelady
Tauranga, New Zealand20 bidrag
des. 2024 • Familie
What a great tour we had! Our tour guide Will and captain Andy were AMAZING! It was fun, informative and well organised! Highly recommend this tour!
Skrevet 26. desember 2024
Denne anmeldelsen er den subjektive meningen til et Tripadvisor-medlem og kommer ikke fra Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor sjekker anmeldelser.
Will the operator puck up from the cruise ship?
Skrevet 7. februar 2025
Hi there, I'll be in port off a cruise ship and was wondering what time is pick up for this excursion please. Many thanks, Wendy.
Skrevet 12. november 2019
Viser resultatene på side 1-6 av 6
Kjøp sammen med
Høyt vurderte
*Vil sannsynligvis bli utsolgt: Basert på Viators bestillingsdata og informasjon fra leverandøren fra de siste 30 dagene, virker det sannsynlig at denne opplevelsen vil bli utsolgt gjennom Viator, et Tripadvisor-selskap.