Marlborough 

Wine, 

Food 

and 

Sounds 

Fly-Cruise

Fly with Air New Zealand departing from Auckland to Blenheim around midday. On arrival we meet our local guide, Dennise. We will start with a casual lunch before visiting Peter Jackson’s Omaka Heritage Centre, NZ’s world class WW1 & WW2 aviation museum, If aviation is not your thing, we have a couple of tasty alternatives! Later in the afternoon we transfer to our hotel for the next two nights.

Hotel d’Urville,
52 Queen Street, Blenheim
2 nights twin/double room
Breakfast at a local café (included)
First night dinner at a local restaurant (included)

We explore Blenheim and the beautiful surrounding Marlborough wine region. We’ll stop at a high vantage point to view the whole Awatere Valley then head to Tipuari Wines where winemaker Olivia tells you about their wines and the stories of the area over a wine-tasting High Tea. We return to town mid-afternoon and head out again early in the evening to our Bon Voyage Dinner at Clos Henri’s Sainte Solange Chapel.

Mid-morning we’ll drive north to Picton with time for a light lunch before farewelling Dennise and joining Heritage Explorer this afternoon at the marina. The captain and expedition team will be waiting to welcome you aboard and show you to your cabin.
You will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself onboard then join the captain on the bridge or fellow travelers on deck as we set sail along Queen Charlotte Sound this afternoon.

First sighted in 1642 by Abel Janszoon Tasman while seeking shelter for his ships Heemskerck and Zeehaen from a storm near d’Urville Island, it was Captain James Cook who would first set foot here aboard the Endeavour during his five visits to Ship Cove, his New Zealand base between 1770 and 1777, in what he would call Queen Charlotte Sound.

We spend two full days exploring the waterways and islands of scenic Queen Charlotte Sound with opportunities to head ashore and walk a section of the Queen Charlotte Walkway as well as search for birdlife on the predator free islands. A visit to Tory Channel brings the whaling history of the Perano Whalers to life. We also plan to visit Ship Cove and learn of its history, exploring the region and visiting Captain Cook’s memorial inaugurated in 1913.

Another conservation success story, Blumine Island has seen the translocation of several rare bird species including the once widespread Orange fronted Parakeet, now New Zealand’s rarest parakeet, which were translocated to the island between 2011 and 2012. Also thriving on the island are South Island Saddleback, brought back from the brink of extinction last century from just 36 birds rescued in 1964, descendants of these birds were translocated to Blumine Island in 2009.

Today we sail through the iconic French Pass in the wake of French Explorer Dumont d’Urville and then explore the island named in his honor. The outermost island in the Marlborough Sounds, d’Urville Island features imposing sea cliffs along its west coast, a high mountainous
backbone and the fastest moving tidal flows in New Zealand between the French Pass tempered by some of the country’s finest peninsular scenery.
Dolphins and New Zealand Fur Seals are frequently seen in the waters surround the island and it was here that Pelorus Jack, the endearing Risso’s Dolphin who famously stole the nation’s heart, guided ships across the dangerous waters of Cook Strait between 1888 and 1912.

The largest in the Marlborough Sounds, Pelorus Sound’s main channel winds some picturesque 55 kilometers south between steep verdant hills from Cook Strait to Havelock. Boasting 380 kilometers of shoreline, the endless bays and sheltered coves of Pelorus Sound are perfect for exploration.
Venturing into Pelorus Sound we head to Ngawhakawhiti Bay where nature surrounds us and it’s possible to get a glimpse of what the sounds would have been like before the native forest was cleared. The more active are able to enjoy the walking part of the Nydia Track before we explore Nydia Bay. On the final night we will enjoy a farewell dinner and celebrate our adventures.

We arrive into the inner reaches of Pelorous Sound this
morning. After a final breakfast and farewells, a Zodiac tender takes you ashore at Havelock, where Dennise and our driver will meet us and take us on a scenic transfer, across the hills to Nelson.

Dennise has planned a couple of special stops including a farewell lunch at The Boathouse before dropping us at Nelson airport for our Air New Zealand return flight home.