🚤 Cook & First Mate Wanted — Liveaboard Charter Crew, Fiordland, NZ

🍽 Opportunity Fiordland Charters is looking for a Cook to join the two-person crew of MV Pembroke, its liveaboard charter vessel running 3–7 night trips for private groups of up to eight through Tamatea Dusky Sound and Te Puaitaha Breaksea Sound — two of the most remote, least-visited fjords in New Zealand, reachable only by helicopter out of Te Anau. The hook: this is cooking with kaimoana at the centre of the menu, on a boat crewed by just two people, so the cook is also functionally first mate — sharing hosting, storytelling and housekeeping duties with the skipper, plus a hand in health and safety, moorings and fishing. 👨‍🍳 Role & Responsibilities Cook delicious kai built around kaimoana and whatever the trip brings in Host guests directly — storytelling and genuine hospitality are as central to the role as the cooking Share general housekeeping across the vessel with the skipper Take on first mate responsibilities: health and safety, helping with moorings, fishing, and general deckwork Work closely as a two-person crew, with both skipper and cook hosting clients together 🌎 ChefJobs Abroad Analysis Dusky and Breaksea Sounds sit deep in Fiordland's least-accessible country — no road access, helicopter in from Te Anau, and a landscape most New Zealanders never see even once. What makes this cook role different from a resort or restaurant posting is the sheer intimacy of it: a two-person crew, 3–7 nights at a stretch with up to eight guests, means the cook isn't hidden in a kitchen but is one of two people running the whole guest experience, cooking and deckwork both. Full training and a health and safety induction are provided, so this genuinely works for a cook without prior boat or first-mate experience — what it demands instead is someone comfortable being flexible, hands-on and outdoors, in exchange for access to a part of New Zealand most people will never set foot in. ⭐ ChefJobs Rating: 8.6/10 ✅ Best Fit Cooks who want hospitality and storytelling built into the job, not just service at a pass Cooks comfortable working with kaimoana and adapting menus around what's fresh or caught that trip Cooks happy to take on first mate duties — moorings, fishing, health and safety — alongside cooking Those drawn to remote, boat-based, outdoors work over a fixed kitchen environment Cooks who can commit to 1–2 weeks onboard per month across the Oct–May season, with time off between blocks Cooks willing to travel from further afield, since trips are booked well ahead and depart via helicopter from Te Anau Not a fit for cooks who want a set daily routine or dislike close, small-crew living