Cruise up through the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound to historical Ship Cove.

Cruise from Picton, up through the beautiful Queen Charlotte Sound to historical Ship Cove. Along the way your skipper will provide a commentary on the surrounds, history and the wildlife be it bird, fish or mammal!

Enjoy a site visit at Ship Cove, named by Captain James Cook in 1770 when his ship The Endeavour anchored here to replenish supplies of food, water and wood. It became a favourite anchorage of Captain Cook and he returned here a further four times between 1770 and 1777.

Take the opportunity to dabble in the creek where Captain Cook made home brew for his crew and share the beach with the resident wildlife. Have your photo taken beside the Captain Cook Monument commemorating his visits to this area or just relax and enjoy the tranquil surroundings.

Upon re-joining your vessel cruise via Endeavour Inlet to view Furneaux Lodge and Punga Cove Resort before returning to Picton.

Beachcomber Cruises keep cups, we are proud to say we no longer use single use cups as every year New Zealanders throw away nearly 300 million disposable coffee cups – and only one out of every 400 is recycled. Throwing away one cardboard cup doesn't seem like much, but multiply that by the number of free coffee cups we gave away each year and the difference a reusable cup can make is clear. Changing habits takes time, but it's worth it. The environment is crucial to our well-being and to our future, and we should take every opportunity, however small, to reduce harm. We sell our own keep cups in office so you can enjoy tea and coffee on board selected vessels.

Additional Terms and Conditions

• If you have a discount card please contact our office directly to receive your discount. Refunds will not be made if you book online at full rate.
• There is a minimum number of persons required for this tour to operate, our reservations team will contact you if this will not be going ahead.
• During the Winter Months we do operate on a reduced schedule, if the day you require is not available on the booking calendar please contact us to check for additional availability

Tour best bits

• Site visit at historical Ship Cove
• Skippers commentary on the history and residents of the area

• If travelling 01 Oct-30 Apr consider departing at 8am and visit Motuara Island Bird Sanctuary for the additional cost of $5 per person.
• Instead of returning directly to Picton get dropped off at Furneaux Lodge or Punga Cove Resort and stay for lunch. We'll pick you up late afternoon on the Magic Mail Run, the only additional cost is your lunch.