Cougar Line - Queen Charlotte Track Cruises — Attraction in South Island

Dear Cougar Line Team,

I wanted to share some feedback regarding our recent experience, which I hope will be helpful in improving communication for future travelers.

Over the course of five months prior to our trip, I was in regular contact with Cougar Line reservations. We discussed our itinerary in detail, including transfer logistics, jetty access, and gear allowances. Based on the information I received, we planned accordingly — including our accommodation, gear (within the 2 x 23kg per person limit for three passengers), and overall route.

However, at no point during these communications was it mentioned that the jetty at Schoolhouse Bay Campsite, for example, is approximately 1.5km from the actual campsite. This was only brought to our attention upon arrival in Picton, after taking the Bluebridge ferry from Wellington and checking in with Cougar Line. Had we been aware of this earlier, we would have certainly reconsidered aspects of our packing and itinerary to better accommodate the additional distance.

As it turned out, we had to carry 130kg of gear in cyclone conditions from the Resolution Bay Cabins jetty to our campsite — a 1.5km hike done in two trips — and repeat the same the following morning. We later learned from the team at Resolution Bay Cabins that this sort of miscommunication has happened with other campers as well.

We faced a similar situation with the Torea Bay Jetty, which required a 2km hike over a saddle to reach Cowshed Campsite — again, something that was not mentioned in any of our planning conversations.

Additionally, our transfers during the trip were frequently delayed, adding more stress to the experience.

While we appreciated the service overall, we believe these communication gaps significantly affected our trip. I would encourage Cougar Line to review and improve the clarity of information provided to customers, particularly around distances between jetties and campsites, terrain, and transfer timing. With some improvement in these areas and clearer communication from staff, I believe future customers could have a much smoother and more...

Used the water taxi to get to a bach at The Pines - Endeavour Inlet. They were excellent at every point - telling me what to expect before I booked, and giving me hints like ordering groceries at fresh choice to be delivered to the taxi. We had 4 people and had 5 bags (one extra with Christmas presents), and a chilly bin, 8 boxes of groceries, a guitar and fishing rods! They charged an extra baggage fee of only $35 which I thought was very reasonable. I had checked a week before that it was still ok to have extra boxes, and we could have taken some items back to the car if it was too much, but thankfully it was all no problem. Fresh choice only pack 10kg per box but you can estimate the weights of everything fairly easily and they pack them extremely efficiently and securely. On the way back we used 3 of the boxes inside a few of the other ones to get all the recycling back - no extra charge.

They had so many people with lots of requests and needs - like us with lots of luggage and other things like lots of dogs on board and babies and some people who were pretty demanding (refusing to carry their own bag when turning up late etc). They managed everything really well. Staff in the building were super friendly and helpful even though it was very busy.

The trips were amazing - beautiful scenery, friendly staff, big boats that handled some bumpy water on the return leg. We just loved it all and highly recommend using cougar for a great holiday. Some of our luggage got splashed with the wilder weather on the return journey so do make sure everything precious is in plastic bag liners if your luggage isn’t...

Cougar Line is a fantastic water taxi service to transfer people to any part of the Queen Charlotte Track or lodges. The booking process on the website was great and when I called their office for further information they were very helpful.

We didn't have to wait too long to jump on the cruise and lunch trip to Furneaux Lodge, which was stunning. On that particular boat cruise, I thought the staff onboard could've been a bit more friendly and welcoming. It would've been great if one of the staff members could've told us passengers about any interesting facts or history about the Marlborough Sounds as we cruised through it, as it did take about 1.5 hrs to get there. Furneaux Lodge was stunning and the lunch options (included in the price) were divine. The pickup was on-time and efficient.

The day after we caught the water taxi again to be dropped off at Resolution Bay and picked up later at Furneaux Lodge. The pilot on this trip was more vocal and informative. Very good toilet facilities onboard too. The walk and views through the Queen Charlotte Track was incredible and we rewarded ourselves at the end with a beer at Furneaux Lodge. We were impressed when staff at Furneaux approached us to say that the water taxi was waiting for us as they'd arrived a bit early. Thank goodness they did this otherwise we would've missed our ride...