Fiordland Fishing & Private Charters — Fiordland Expeditions

Charter Options

What You Can Charter

Our private charters offer a unique and tailored experience, ideal for families or small groups seeking adventure. Enjoy the stunning landscapes of Fiordland at your own pace, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

With a maximum of either 8 or 12 guests across our two vessels, our friendly, personable crew will do all they can to ensure your experience is the best we can make it. Our resident chef prepares the freshest seafood that you help to catch, for an evening feast fit for royalty.

Fishing Charters

Fiordland is revered for its fishing — blue cod, hapuka, bluenose, kingfish, trumpeter and more. Our crew know exactly where the fish are. Bring your own rods or use ours. The catch becomes dinner.

Private Vessel Charter

Take the entire vessel for your group. MV Tutoko II (12 guests) or MV Tutoko (8 guests) — fully crewed, fully catered, fully yours. Choose your fiords, your pace, your itinerary.

Dive Expeditions

Fiordland's underwater world is unique on the planet — black coral forests, rare marine life, and extraordinary visibility. Multi-day dive charters from consented anchorages in the remote fiords.

Hunting Expeditions

Red deer and Tahr hunting from remote Fiordland anchorages. Our crew know where the trophy animals run. A truly wild, remote, and rewarding experience for serious hunters.

Dedicated Expeditions

Serious About Fishing or Hunting?

If you're planning an annual fishing trip, a bucket-list trophy hunt, or a multi-day dive expedition, our dedicated expedition vessel MV Tutoko is purpose-built for the mission. Full cold storage, game handling, dive compressor — and 25+ seasons of local knowledge.

See Anglers & Hunters →

Charter Pricing

How Charter Pricing Works

Every private charter is quoted for the trip you actually want, so there is no rate card. The price is built from five things: which vessel you take (MV Tutoko II for up to 12 guests, MV Tutoko for up to 8), how many nights you are aboard, how far into the fiords you go, the season, and the size of your group. A day on Doubtful Sound is a different trip from a week down the coast to Dusky or Preservation, and a full boat shared between friends costs less per person than the same boat for two.

Whatever you choose, the quote is for the whole trip: the vessel, your skipper and crew, wholesome meals, snacks and refreshments from the galley, transfers in and out from Manapouri, kayaks, fishing gear and the crayfish pot. Dive equipment is arranged in advance. Ask, and we will tell you exactly what a quote covers before you commit to anything.

We are a family business that has run its own two vessels in Fiordland since 1998, and that shows in the price. We are more adaptable and more affordable than comparable operators. That is the honest answer to the cost question until you tell us what you have in mind.

If you are comparing cruise prices rather than planning a charter, the Doubtful Sound overnight cruise is the one to look at: cabins from $935 per person, bookable online with live availability.

Enquire About a Charter

We reply to every charter enquiry within 24 hours.

What to Tell Us for a Quote

✦Who. How many in the group, and whether it is a family trip, a fishing crew, a dive team, a hunting party or a corporate group.
✦When. Fixed dates, or a season you are flexible within. Summer dates go first.
✦How long. A single day, one night, or a multi-day expedition.
✦Where. Doubtful Sound close to home, or further down the coast to Dusky Sound and Preservation Inlet.
✦What for. The fish you want to target, the dive sites, the hunting blocks, or simply the scenery and the silence.

With that, we come back with a vessel, an itinerary and a single price for the whole trip.

Since 1998. Two vessels, one family.

Which Vessel Suits Your Charter?

Both boats carry the same local knowledge: decades on these fiords, the tides, the holding spots, the dive sites that don't appear on any map, and the anchorages that shelter even in a southerly. That knowledge is yours for the charter. The difference is what each vessel is built for.

MV Tutoko II · Flagship · Max 12 guests

Comfort, Cabins and a Chef

Charter MV Tutoko II for two, twelve, or anything between. Private cabins with ensuite options, a saloon dining table, a chef in the galley, eight kayaks on deck and a helipad for anyone arriving by air. It is the vessel that runs our Doubtful Sound overnight cruise, taken over entirely by your group.

Best for: families and multi-generation trips, milestone celebrations, corporate groups, and fishing charters where the evenings matter as much as the catch.

Skipper, deckhand, chef. They look after the boat. You look after enjoying it.

MV Tutoko · Expedition · Max 8 guests

Eight Guests. Two Crew Who Know Every Rock.

Eight is the number that makes a charter feel like a private expedition. Small enough that your skipper and guide know exactly what you're after, and experienced enough in these waters to deliver it every time. A 16-metre working vessel with a full dive compressor, fishing gear, kayaks, cold storage and game handling, and a diesel stove that keeps her warm through the coldest months. Eight guests means room to move and work.

Best for: dedicated fishing charters, multi-day dive expeditions, red deer and tahr hunting, and research or documentary teams heading for Dusky Sound and Preservation Inlet.

Built around your mission. Whether you're targeting blue cod, diving black coral forests, or heading into the back country for deer, your crew tailors the trip around exactly what you're after. No standard itinerary. No compromise. Return with something worth talking about.

Your Charter, Your Way

Make It Yours

Your Boat

Charter MV Tutoko II for two, twelve, or anything between. Your call.

Your Itinerary

Tell us what you want to do. We'll build the trip around it.

Your Days

One day or two weeks. Doubtful, Dusky, Preservation — wherever you point.

Your Pace

Move fast or move slow. Tutoko II goes where you want, when you want.

Your Catch

Fish, dive, hunt, kayak — whatever the trip's for, we set it up.

Your Crew

Skipper, deckhand, chef. They look after the boat. You look after enjoying it.

Guest Voices

From Those Who've Been Out

"The crew made sure everyone had the opportunity to catch something — no one was left out. Everyone caught a fish. Later we reeled in a lobster pot containing 7–8 crayfish. They were huge."

Bearby B. · TripAdvisor ★★★★★ · March 2026

"Turning 65 with style. A 12-berth cruise with 3 awesome New Zealand characters. Kayaking, fishing, and crayfishing rounded out the trip with the most stunning scenery imaginable."

Maps473202676691 · TripAdvisor ★★★★★ · March 2026

"Richard found us five crested Fiordland penguins to observe. The activities — kayaking and fishing — were well organised, and chef Mikey's food including crayfish pulled from the sea was excellent."

Sightseer19709552702 · TripAdvisor ★★★★★ · December 2025

More than 230 TripAdvisor reviews, averaging 4.9 stars. Guests who've done the trip tell it better than we can.

Read the Reviews on TripAdvisor

Heritage · Research · Corporate

Specialist Charters

Some Fiordland charters have a purpose beyond fishing and scenery. We run these less often, and each one is built from scratch with the people who need it.

Historic Fiordland Charters

Fiordland's coast carries layers of history: early Māori greenstone routes, James Cook's 1773 anchorage in Dusky Sound, the sealing and whaling years, and the pioneer fishermen and surveyors who came after. A heritage voyage retraces some of those routes with informed crew and time to anchor where it matters. Suited to interpretive groups, documentary teams, and travellers building an itinerary around Fiordland's deeper story.

Research Charters

Fiordland Expeditions has supported scientific and conservation fieldwork for years, most visibly through the Tawaki Project, which tracks the Fiordland crested penguin. Our vessels make a capable research platform: stable anchorages, cold storage, dive support, and crew used to working alongside field teams. Suited to university teams, conservation groups and documentary productions needing reliable access to the remote sounds and arms.

Corporate Charters

Team building and retreats in a setting that sharpens perspective and resets focus. Take the whole vessel, strategise around the saloon table, then fish, kayak and eat together. Shared experiences in an extraordinary environment build connections that last, and Fiordland has a way of turning a team into a crew.

Enquire About a Charter

Charter Questions

Before You Enquire

There is no rate card. Every charter is quoted for the trip you want, and the price is built from which vessel you take, how many nights you are aboard, how far into the fiords you go, the season and the size of your group. The quote covers the vessel, skipper and crew, all meals and refreshments, transfers in and out from Manapouri, kayaks and fishing gear. We are more adaptable and more affordable than comparable operators. Tell us who, when and what for, and we will reply within 24 hours with a price for the whole trip.

Up to 12 guests aboard MV Tutoko II, our flagship, and up to 8 aboard MV Tutoko, the Fiordland expedition vessel. Smaller groups are welcome on either boat: charter MV Tutoko II for two, twelve, or anything between.

From a single day to two weeks. Doubtful Sound suits a day or a night. Dusky Sound and Preservation Inlet are further down the coast, and we recommend several days for those so the passage is worth it and the fishing, diving or hunting gets the time it deserves.

The vessel and crew, wholesome meals, snacks and refreshments throughout, transfers in and out, kayaks, fishing gear and the crayfish pot. Dive equipment is available by advance arrangement, and MV Tutoko carries a dive compressor. Bring your own rods if you prefer. The catch becomes dinner.

MV Tutoko II if comfort, cabins and a chef matter: families, milestone groups, corporate charters, and fishing trips where the evenings count. MV Tutoko if the trip is the mission: dedicated fishing, multi-day diving, hunting and research work, with cold storage, game handling and a dive compressor on board. If you are unsure, tell us the group and the goal and we will recommend one.

As early as your plans allow. Summer dates go first, and a multi-day expedition to Dusky or Preservation takes more planning than a day on Doubtful. If your dates are fixed, tell us and we will check them straight away. If you are flexible, say which season and we will suggest a window.

Pearl Harbour, Manapouri, at the Real NZ ferry terminal on the edge of Fiordland National Park. You cross Lake Manapouri and the Wilmot Pass to Deep Cove, where the vessel is waiting, and those transfers are included in every charter.

Packing for a charter? See what to bring, including what changes for fishing, dive and hunting trips.

Start Planning

Every Charter Begins With a Conversation

Tell us about your group, your objectives, and your preferred dates. We'll design the right expedition around you. No two charters are the same.

Enquire About a Charter Email charters@fiordlandexpeditions.co.nz Call 0508 888 656