Saturday, March 19, 2016

From North to South - New Zealand ferries





There are two main ferry companies which operate between Wellington and Picton, taking goods, people and vehicles from one island to the other.  You can see the land across the water, it's not that far, and websites and books will tell you that the trip only takes a couple of hours. This is not a lie, but set aside about 5 hours to allow for delays, boarding and unboarding, and the actual sailing itself.

The first time we travelled across the water, we went into the terminal, purchased our tickets for the next sailing and away we went. We initially travelled on Bluebridge. After our time on the South Island, we discovered that there are free booklets you can get from the i-Site which contain vouchers for a range of things including a discount on the ferry. This, combined with the discount you get if you book online, means you can save a lot of money this way, and as its not a cheap exercise (our first trip cost over $400), this is what I would recommend.

The ships themselves are like mini Spirits of Tasmania. They have optional cabins, various eating areas, a cinema, and areas to sit inside and out. You can't access your vehicle while you are sailing. We found the facilities on Interislander on the way back far superior, although don't bank on the free wifi as it is too heavily used to be any good on the trip.

The trip is definitely a scenic one, especially at the South Island part of the journey, so rug up and head out into the cold to get some great images of the landscape!

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I'm a young earth loving Tasmanian who loves nature, art, old things, handmade things, collecting things and embracing the lovelier things the world has to offer.