Boat Cruises
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Boat Cruises
The Fiords Are Where It's At
For my money, the best boat cruising in NZ happens in Fiordland, and specifically on Doubtful Sound. It's quieter than Milford, there's a daily cap on visitor numbers, and if you're in a campervan and can get yourself there early, the first sailing is both cheaper and way less crowded than the buses rolling in from Queenstown. At Milford, my pick is the cruise that heads out to the Tasman Sea - same price as the others but you get a proper look back into the sound on the return. Worth the extra distance.
Promo code RANKERS - good deal done!
Franz Josef Wilderness Tours
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26 reviews
Rakiura / Stewart Island Ferry
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
24 reviews
Million Dollar Cruise
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8 reviews
TSS Earnslaw Cruise
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81 reviews
Monarch Wildlife Cruises & Tours
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
47 reviews
Sailing R Tucker Thompson
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43 reviews
Hukafalls Jet Taupo
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81 reviews
The Rock Adventure Cruise
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66 reviews
Doubtful Sound Day Cruise
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285 reviews
Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
89 reviews
Beachcomber Fun Cruises
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80 reviews
Pelorus Mail Boat
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
27 reviews
Eco Wanaka Adventures
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
2 reviews
Doubtful Sound Overnight Cruise
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
12 reviews
Waimangu Volcanic Valley
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
144 reviews
Mitre Peak Cruises
Up to 30% Off
222 reviews
Milford Sound Overnight Cruises
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
31 reviews
Abel Tasman Sea Shuttle
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399 reviews
Milford Sound Day Cruises
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
299 reviews
Akaroa Harbour Nature Cruises
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58 reviews
Glass Bottom Boat
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6 reviews
Whale Watch Kaikoura
Promo code RANKERS. 10% Off
679 reviews
Wilsons Abel Tasman
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243 reviews
Beyond the Fiords
Kaikoura is the other one I'd go out of my way for. The whale watch tour out of there is world class - first sailing tends to be the calmest, which matters more than you'd think. Up in the Marlborough Sounds, if you want sheltered water and fewer big ferry wakes, departing from Havelock on the Pelorus Sound mail run is a much better vibe than Picton. And in the Abel Tasman, the full park cruise is worth doing over a half-day option - 3.5 hours and you actually see the place properly.
There's good cruising scattered across the country too - from wildlife cruises out of Dunedin to the glass-bottom boat around the Coromandel and the old steamship out of Queenstown that pairs with a high country farm dinner. The promo code RANKERS gets you a discount on a good number of these - Doubtful Sound day cruises, whale watching in Kaikoura, the Queenstown steamship, and more - so it's worth having it in your back pocket.
Boat Cruise Experiences
153 items with the highest ranking score first, showing page 1 of 6.
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