Key Details

Date: 14th August 2022

Service Number: Kaitaki

Route: Wellington to Picton 

Cabin: Economy

The route

The ferry route between New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington and the small regional city of Picton provides a vital crossing between the country’s north and south islands and provides a crucial service carrying large amounts of passengers, vehicles, trucks and freight between the two on a daily basis.

Today’s ferry route is operated by the InterIslander Ferry service who are one of two ferry operators on the the 3 hour 30 minute sea crossing across the Cook straight, the other being Blueridge Ferries. It is also possible to fly between the two cities, with Sounds Air operating up to 23 return services weekly.

The journey between Wellington and Picton covers a journey of 92km. At the narrowest point however the Cook Straight between the two islands is just 22km which makes this one of the most spectacular ferry rides in the world with both the rugged coalistlines of the North and South Island clearly in sight during most of the journey. When arriving at Picton you’ll be greeted by the magnificent countryside of the South Island’s Marlborough wine region

The service is owned and operated by Kiwi Rail which is New Zealand’s State owned railway operator although in 2017 for marketing purposes the InterIslander became part of the Great Journeys of New Zealand brand along with the other four scenic passenger services in New Zealand such as the Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific and Tranz Alpine train services. Typically InterIslander operate 4 return services a day between the two with 3 of them during the day in addition to a late evening crossing.

We’d reccomend getting the early morning service if starting your day in Wellington as it will still give you all afternoon to drive to your next destination although if departing Picton it may be worth getting a later departure if starting your day elsewhere to give you plenty of time to drive up to Picton.

Getting to Wellington Ferry Terminal

Getting to Wellington Ferry Terminal is a breeze as it is located in the port harbourside district of Wellington which is only several kilometres from the centre of the city. It is certainly possible to walk there from much of the city’s hotels although it may be more convenient to take the InterIslander’s Wellington Terminal Shuttle Bus which departs from Platform 9 at Wellington Station 50 minutes prior to all day departures. Taking a taxi or uber if travelling with lots of luggage or the weather is poor is also another option. Alternatively, if driving there is plenty of signage that will direct you to the ferry terminal which is merely a few minutes drive.

Checking in at Wellington

How you check in at Wellington depends on whether you are boarding on f oot o r bringing a vehicle on board. With the former you’ll have to check in at the passenger terminal in person where it is recommend you arrive at least 45 minutes before departure where you’ll need to produce your booking confirmation and proof of id to be given your boarding pass. If driving proceed directly to the loading area where staff will confirm your booking and direct traffic onto the ship where you’ll then enter the passenger cabin from your car after parking on board.

Seating and Amenities on the InterIslander Ferry

The InterIslander Ferry provides plenty of seating options and amenities for the 3 – 3.5 hour sea crossing. Throughout the journey you are free to move about the vessel and also able to venture out to some of the outside decks where there is magnificent views to be had if you can cope with the usually cold and blustery conditions en-route!

There is plenty of comfortable recliner clairs at the front of the ferry for relaxing or napping with plenty of food court like seating if you wish to sit down with a laptop or purschase somthing from the main cafe and buffet. There are several cafes and also a bar on board with plenty of options to please most. R

There is also a childrens playground, rest areas for truck drivers, on board wifi, concierge desk, gift shop, tourist infrmation counter and even a cinema so there is plenty to keep most people occupied along the journey.

Food and Beverage Service

Whilst food is not complementary on board, there is an excellent range of food and beverage options on board that you can purchase at the several cafes and the main buffet on board which includes main meals, pastries, snacks, cakes and deserts . You are then largely free to move around the vessel to consume food and beverage wherever you like. On board you can also purchase a wide range of drinks including barista made coffee and alcoholic beverages. On s om e services a dedicated bar even operates. Prices and quality were fairly reasonable.

Crew and on board Service

For this trip direct crew service is rather limited as everything on board is offered on a buy on board basis and you’ll need to go up to one of the several cafes on board should you want anything. There is also a dedicated concierge counter and tourist information desk which however is a huge plus as they are happy to help travellers with any questions they might have about there onward destination. The crew did well to keep us updated on the progress of the journey and our expected arrival time and orchestrated boarding and disembarking of the ferry is an orderly fashion.

Arriving in Picton

After just over 3 hours since departing Wellington at 8.45am this service streamed into the picturesque town of Picton a little after noon. When arriving in Picton any checked luggage will shortly after arrive on the baggage belts in the terminal. If you haven’t already brought you car across there is plenty of hire car companies where you pick up a car and start your South Island adventure. For those continuing on to Christchurch its a 335km or 4.5 hour drive which takes in the lovely rolling plains of the Marlborou/gh Wine region before heading south along the spectacular rugged coastline of the east coast of New Zealand.

Summing up: Is it worth taking the ferry?

The Cook Strait Ferry purposes very much cements itself as a vital transportation link connecting New Zealand’s North and South Islands and is one of New Zealand’s most famous tourist journeys. Obviously if you are wishing to travel directly between Wellington and one of the South Island’s major population centres such as Christchurch, Dunedin or even Queenstown it’ll be a lot quicker and probably more cost effective to simply fly but for those touring around the country catching the ferry across the strait is a no brainer. Not only does it enable you the connivence of bringing your car across, it provides for some spectacular scenery along the way and is quite the journey! Whilst it is not blazing quick ferry service the journey time of little over 3 hours will fly by as there is plenty to do on board or simply relax and you’ll still have plenty of time either one side of the journey to drive to or from another destination.