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New Zealand
> Wellington >
Cook Straight Ferries
Picton to
Wellington
 New
Zealand's Cook Straight separates the North from the
South Island. This stretch of water has strong
currents, and often very strong winds which can make
for some rough crossings. However with the large &
spacious ferries, passengers can travel in ocean comfort
and stroll or sit out on the decks. The ferries turn
around in about an hour and a same day return trip
is a good day out.
In Picton the "Interislander" ferry terminal is beside the town
centre and a short walk from the town centre and the
BlueBridge terminal just beyond.
The Main Wellington Ferry Terminal is about 20-30
minutes walk from Wellington Railway Station, with a
connecting bus service to and from the ferry. Some
ferries depart from another terminal opposite the
railway station, so if booking to depart Wellington,
check with the sales person which terminal to go to.
 The Ferries:
- The Arahura
Arahura is Maori for "Pathway to Dawn" and has been in service
for many years.
- The Kaitaki (Challenger in Maori) is a
larger vessel and yet surprisingly stable at sea. It
has a Capacity 1600 passengers and 600 cars.
- The Aratere
Aratere is Maori for ‘Quick Path’ and is a modern,
high-tech vessel.
- The Santa Regina sails daily with 370 passengers
and 150 cars.
- The
Lynx is no longer operating - a modern
twin hull catamaran with the cabin space that gave a feeling
of being in a smart hotel or
large jet aircraft. With a cruising speed of 40
knots, (74 kph) the journey took approximately 2
hours and with modern stabilizing
technology, the Lynx gave a smoother ride than
conventional ferries.
Occasionally if the weather is exceptionally bad, crossings are delayed
and while passengers can sail on a particular ferry,
most book to suit their travel time.
 Ferry bookings:
Inter Island Ferry Service
0800 202 202.
Strait Shipping 0800 844 844
Wellington -
Accommodation, book now -
Hotels -
Motels
Below is a personal account from a crossing 2002
Stepping on to the
Arahura, one of the Cook Straight ferries, the
gentle movement caused by vehicles loading has a
large group of teenagers discussing the possibility
of sea sickness and in the air-conditioned forward
observation lounge there is a sickly but tolerable
smell.
As the ship gets
underway on this fine day, a steward reads a safety
message and
advises of the opening of the shops,
a trinket shop, food bar, chip shop,
bar and a movie theatre, and a lounge
where adults can escape the noisy
children and sit in comfort for only
$15.00. He also advises that the sea
is calm and promises a good crossing.
It is a relief
to get out from the air-conditioning
on to the back and upper decks, to walk about and take photos as the
port of Picton
disappears and the
landscape with it's isolated homes,
fish farms and forest operations glides by.
It takes almost an hour to reach the open ocean
where the calm of the sounds if left behind and the
ship moves to the swell.
The swell in the ocean
on this "calm day" is about
2 - 3 meters but for this notorious
stretch of water, is calm. As the
ship progresses, the swell increases
and from the top rear deck, the bow
of the ship rises and falls some 20 -
30 meters with the swell increasing. On the back decks, the
movement is less but a
challenge to stand without support,
the wind is bracing yet many stay out
here for the exhilaration of this
environment as the ship shudders
occasionally as the bow crashes into
a big wave.
The south coast of
Wellington appears and slowly the ship enters
the calm waters of Wellington Harbour, and views of
the city to berth half an hour later.
Blenheim -
Blenheim
Accommodation
Picton -
Picton
Accommodation
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