The Family Behind Fiordland Expeditions
Richard and Mandy Abernethy have been taking people into the further reaches of Fiordland for more than 25 years. Six crew, two vessels, one fjord — and a way of working that feels closer to family than employer.
The Operator
"I've done a lot of different things in my life. This is the best gig, without doubt."Richard Abernethy
Richard Abernethy has been at sea for more than thirty years. He started "playing in boats when I could crawl down the road and fall into the water." After school, a fishing boat. Then a commercial yacht. In his early thirties he moved to Milford Sound and worked in tourism there for several years, before a few years ashore running a bus company. In his mid-forties he bought Fiordland Expeditions. That was 2004. Twenty-two years on, he's still skippering.
The Fleet
Both vessels carry the name Tutoko, after Chief Tutoko, whose memory is also held by the mountain that bears his name. The original MV Tutoko spent her working life in Milford Sound, was retired from day-trip service in the 1990s, and shifted south to Doubtful for charter work. She's been here ever since.
MV Tutoko II joined the fleet in 2010. Larger, with private ensuite cabins on the main deck and an expanded top-deck bunk room, she's the flagship for overnight cruises and multi-day expeditions.
"Everybody gets a bit of personal space. They're not all bunched into one room."Richard Abernethy
The Culture
"We try and keep the rules out of it where we can. Most of the people that come on board are pretty sensible. Coming from a world of rules, they quite like the relaxed atmosphere. The crew and the skippers, everyone joins in with the same ethos. It seems to go down quite well."Richard Abernethy
What Makes Us Different
Family-owned and family-run. Licensed to operate where most cannot. A boat small enough that the crew know your name before you've finished your first coffee.
Operating in Fiordland since 1998. Three generations of guests now, many returning year after year.
A deliberate small number aboard MV Tutoko II. No queue for the rail, no announcements over a speaker. The fiord essentially yours.
DOC-consented overnight operator inside the Te Wāhipounamu World Heritage Area — exclusive access to Hall Arm, Crooked Arm and Bradshaw Sound.
MV Tutoko II carries a working helipad for scenic flights, remote pickups, and the kind of access no other operator on the fiord can offer.
Six Names. One Boat.
Two skippers, two chefs, a deckhand and shore support. Between them they've notched up decades on the water — and most days you'll find them quietly anticipating your needs before you've thought to ask.
Skipper
Dave skippers MV Tutoko II down the same stretch of fjord every day and reckons no two days are the same — he prefers calling the shots out here to anywhere structured or corporate.
"You can cruise down the same piece of fjord on a daily basis and it's completely different from day to day. Out here you're in charge — you don't get that anywhere corporate."
Skipper
TJ skippers for the isolation — drawn to the quiet places and the chance to share Fiordland's wild backyard with the guests he meets along the way.
"Just being out there, away from it all. And connecting with people on the boat — sharing the experiences."
Chef
Arturo joined MV Tutoko II during the pandemic after twenty years in big hotels and resorts. Seven years on he's still here — cooking what guests pull from the fjord, and still falling for the place.
"After twenty years in big hotels and resorts, this was the first time I'd worked in a small family business. I never thought I'd come to love nature. Now every trip is different."
Chef
Mikey works the galley aboard MV Tutoko II, cooking the crayfish and blue cod guests catch themselves — with what he reckons is the best kitchen view in New Zealand.
"There's no kitchen in New Zealand where you can cook a crayfish or blue cod that fresh — caught by our guests, cooked, on the plate. And the people arrive from everywhere and leave like family."
Reservations & Shore Support
Jo handles bookings and shore-side logistics — a working mum who couldn't do nine-to-five in an office. A family-run boat operation gives her the flexibility and balance an office never could.
"You're not just a number — you're part of the family. The crew have such passion for the area and the company, and that transcends into the experience they give the guests."
Deckhand
Hamish joined the deck crew six months ago and is still discovering new ecosystems on every voyage — most recently kayaking the salt marshes for the first time.
"Even after six months working here there are still new discoveries to be made — beautiful varieties of birds, vegetation, ecosystems I never knew existed."
"We'd like to invite you to come along on one of our cruises and enjoy the place with us. We'll show you a good time, and you'll go home with memories that last a lifetime."Richard Abernethy
Step Aboard
An overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound is the shortest path from reading these names to remembering them.