Cook
Strait
"An
Iron Bridge Between The Islands"
The Cook Strait ferries provide a vital "iron bridge" between the road and rail systems of the two main islands in the country.
There are several sailings a day in both directions but try to make the crossing in daylight - the run down Queen Charlotte Sound is quite beautiful.
In summer it pays to book if you are planning to take a car with you on the crossing. But if you just roll up and go on stand-by you should never wait more than two or three sailings before getting away. The downside of just turning up is that you may have to pay through the nose. If you book early you can make significant savings from concession rates.
There are two ferry operators: The Interisland Line is the long-established operation - they are a part of Tranz Rail, the country's only rail operator. And there's Strait Shipping, a freight line that carries only a limited number of cars, though they have recently added a new ship which carries more cars and more passengers.
The InterIsland Line.
Their website will give you timetables and fares - they cross each way five times a day.
The main ships - the Arahura and the Aratere have bars and restaurants on board. You can watch a movie too - though with such splendid scenery outside I often wonder why you'd want to.
The standard fare for passengers is $52, children (4-14) $31, infants free. For cars, campers, minibuses, vans under 6m in length the standard fare is $179. And, yes, all drivers and passengers must pay. There are off-peak rates available - ranging up to 50% discounts but with limited availability and special conditions applied.
During the summer months the Interisland Line also operates The Lynx, a fast catamaran. It will whizz you across the waters in an hour and three quarters - at a price.
One thing you can't do is buy a cheap fare on one sailing but travel on an earlier one. If you book a cheap fare you go on that sailing and that one alone, unless there are cheap-fare space available on the earlier sailing.
Strait Shipping
If you don't mind a little inconvenience, and do mind paying full fare on the InterIslander then send your vehicle across the water with Strait Shipping. Their price for carrying a car across the strait is only $110. Their timetable is a bit complex - basically they run two or three times a day. On their homepage if you click on "Passengers and Cars" you get sent to information on their "Bluebridge" service which is a single ship recently added to the fleet. However, several times a day their commercial freight ferries make crossings, and you can book unaccompanied vehicles on those. There are no passenger places on the freight ships - these vessels are designed mainly to carry trucks - so you will have to travel on the InterIsland Line or fly with Soundsair while your car goes on the freight service.
SoundsAir
If you want or need to get from one side to t'other in a hurry, fly Wellington/Picton (or vice versa) with SoundsAir. They make the crossing several times a day and it's not a lot more expensive than the ferry especially if you get an el cheapo flight off the internet. You can send the car on the ferry, catch a shuttle out to the airport and fly to get more time on the other side.
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All you need to know about a visit to the place where God set the contrast and colour and man hasn'nt fiddled with the dials.
What, hopefully, you'll get out of this mish-mash of peripatetic ramblings.
Background bumpf on the country.
Visas, customs, immigration, duty free shopping, and getting away from the airport. Bloody important if you don't want to be arrested on arrival.
Moving on . . . by road or rail, by air or by sea.
"nuff said.
What to see, what to do, and why to go there.
Diving, fishing, golf, rafting, sailing, skiing - and more.