Fodor's Expert Review Greenshell Mussel Cruise

Leaving from Havelock marina, Marlborough Tour Company takes you into the largely untouched Kenepuru and Pelorus sounds, just some of the labyrinthine waterways that make up the Marlborough Sounds. The world's largest Greenshell mussel farms are in these waters. Your skipper will cruise to the rows of black buoys that mark the farms, then hook up ropes covered in great swathes of clinging mussels and harvest them for your gourmet delight. They'll prepare the mussels on board, steamed gently and washed down with a glass of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. You'll also hear about the pioneering history of the Sounds. Marlborough also runs a Seafood Odyssea cruise from Picton, plus Marlborough winery tours and a Marlborough Icons Tour—a full-day combo of wineries tour in the morning and mussel cruise in the afternoon. Transfers for both the mussel and combo tours are available from Blenheim and Picton.