Excellent service, a large shuttle with a large number of seats, check each floor what is there and where comfortable seating with wide sofas comfortable, there are a large number of different buffets that serve various meals, there is no doubt that this is a pleasant experience between the South Island and the North Island .
Nice and very helpful and friendly staff. They took us all though we came too later and all gates have been closed already!! Thank you interislander company for this treat, we appriciated it very much! Awesome view especially in the sounds- lots of dolphins around that day. Quietly atmosphere on the boat (sitting and food area) and super helpful interaction on the boat while our cruise. Warm meals available! Thank you for a awesome nice very warm hearted kiwi experience!
Super fast car check-in, just hand the employee a sheet. Then you enter a queue (which they will indicate) and wait for the boarding to start. The entire route is indicated, without stress. There are several employees indicating the place to park the car. Inside, there are several places selling food and drink at a reasonable price. There are also several sofas and armchairs for people to rest during the trip.
the ferries are lacking in passenger seats! compared to ferries in vancouver, canada and the calais/dover, france/england ferries, this was the most inconvenient and uncomfortable experience. the 3+ hours trip between the north and south island made it even more tortuous! insult to injury, there's also not enough lavatories and this crossing was full. unfortunately i have to make another crossing...ugh! hoping for calm seas and a sunny day or this will be even more unpleasant.
Poor quality food on board, lack of options to buy on board. School meals style crap. Staff were friendly. Email information was good.
Great if your wanting to drive to the south island and are in no rush to get there. Mother nature can be unpredictable and show its fury in cook strait but the sounds are world class. Any plan to shift the ferry terminal to grassmare just to save 45 minutes would be the death knell to the interislander.
It was used to travel to South Island on a backpacker trip. Japanese people, if the weather is nice, why not get on this! I will write the best points of Inter Islander below.
First of all, unlike a Japanese ferry, the inside of the ship is beautiful like a passenger ship. There was a bar and food shop on the ship where you could have a meal while watching the sea, and there was a band that let you listen to the finest jazz without any charge. This is the best voyage at this point.
After spending an hour and a half on board, the ship crosses the Cook Strait into a narrow channel leading to Picton. It is a fjord that was formed during the Great Ice Age, and shows a glacier topography that is a bit different from Milford sound. Watch the sea breeze carefully as the color of the sea changes as soon as you enter the channel.
Japanese people will surely have a wonderful experience. Please use Interislander to move between the north and south islands.
I apologize for the long sentence.
We travelled on the Interislander ferry at this terminal, specifically the Kaitaki ship. As advertised, it is SO much more than a ferry. It's practically a cruise ship! It had everything we needed and more. Incredibly spacious with all kinds of seating facilities and plenty of locations all around the ship to take in the views. The terminal itself has very helpful staff. Strongly suggest going about 90 minutes early to beat the queue!
Very god procedure for checking in and comfortable stay. However this is what you should expect for the high rates. ..
Big boat that'll get you to the other island without to much sea trouble. Very smooth!
great experience! looking at doing it again very soon!!!
Great get service smooth sailing. Nice restaurants on board.
Absolutely horrible ferry terminal - poorly connected to transportation, rude staff, and a terrible way to end a journey from Picton, and a horrible welcome to Wellington.
Terminal for the "Interislander" ferry to Picton (south island). It is recommended to arrive ~ 1h before departure, however the check-in process is quick (if you have no luggage).
Everything went smooth checking in on and boarding the Picton ferry. Good coffee too.
Got delayed here for 8 hours wasn't all bad sunny ,found some great Sushi, had a look around ,lots to see and do felt like a tourist, before we had to check in on the InterIslander.been delayed in a lot worse places. Probably won't of been as good if it was raining in (Windy Wellington. )
Loved the Interislander experience once again. Travelling south and then north again we enjoyed the seperate areas for rest, food and sea gazing, spaced over several levels of the Ferry. Even at the beginning of the school holidays there was space to chill out and snooze on the way. Seem-less experience taking our vehicle and ourselves from island to island. Awesome scenery, service and overall experience.
Traveled on interislander when moving to South Island, basics where good,
I use to take bluebridge, but decided to try interislander, and it felt like luxury compared to cattle class bluebridge, nice Comfy seats with a view, could walk all around the boat, outside, was quiet and smooth, I also decided to come back early and worried I had to rebuy tickets, but no, just had to pay a ticket change fee of about $30, would definitely ride again
I've been on vessels like this across Bass Strait, the North Sea, the Puget Sound and the English Channel. This one isn't bad, but all the others were honestly better organised and more comfortable. I'm told the views across the Cook Strait are spectacular during good weather, but today is not one of those days, so I was hoping to catch up online. But power points are scarce on this vessel, even in the premium area, so that didn't work out either. Overall, a meh experience.
If the weather treats you well this is a totally amazing trip. Explore the ship, grab a coffee, find a spot in one of the outdoor decks, kick back and get your camera ready!!
Nice ferry, great staff, movie option for only 10 $
But only 100 mb of free wifi, so basically you cant do almost nothing with this. But you can log in 3 times along the trip so basically u have 300 mb to spend.
Check the weather before going in the ferry, i took a ferry in a bad condition weather seasick is very uncomfortable during the trip.
Gave three different check in times and then departed nearly two and a half hours later without explanation. Waste of time.
Nice friendly service. Got slightly queasy on the cook strait though but that's to be expected. Wish there were more free items like food for what you pay though
Loved the journey but appalled by the baggage handling experience in Wellington. After 50+ years you would think a conveyor belt system would be in use.
Terrible staff with horrifying service attitude - bossy as hell!! Much worse service than the BlueBridge service!!
The weather was absolutely beautiful. Cold, but beautiful. Only went to Wellington to catch the ferry
$304 dollars to sleep on a dirty floor. Not enough seats too many tables and uncomfortable chairs. Dog kennels scattered around the car deck and unorganised. Will try bluebridge next time.
It was a nice experience, the boat had a small delay, but it was ok.
The ferry terminal is a bit far from the town center, but still easy to reach, even on foot.
A must thing to do , go to the other island and see the fjords
As good as a ferry terminal gets really, couldn't ask for more really!
Glad we chose Interislander. We had a nice experience.
Arrived at wharf with no booking as all sailings sold out, staff got myself and motorcycle on board quickly and efficiently with zero fuss. Premium Lounge is excellent, quiet space with comfortable seating and room to stretch out. Wait staff were friendly, polite, attentive and graceful. Food was well prepared and tasty, great range of beverages. Will definitely use again. Thankyou for a great experience!
There are many boats in the South and North Island, and even the trains can enter the big ferry boat. There are hot food on the boat, and the price is reasonable. There is a comfortable sofa area, a general seating area, and a children's play area. The boat can be taken out to the platform. Experience the big sea breeze, very special experience, recommended to try
Took 2 photo's of a black swan & cormorant. How many ferry terminals in the world can you do this
Very disappointed in interislander to see all the rubbish disappear in the same bags. Zero recycling. Come on guys, it's 2018! Let's all put in a little effort shall we?
I did a ferry from wellington to Picton and back. The food options were good and cheap. In fact, the food I had on the ferry was better value and taste than in Picton. There is the issue of seats, when I left my seat I couldn't reclaim a good seat. The issue is not with interislander but peoples behavior. Since there are no designated seats people leave behind their belongings when they need to get away from their seat, thus they occupy 2 seats. I couldn't do this as I was travelling alone and don't think it's very good manner. If you find a good seat its like flying business class, lots of space and comfort. I wish people were a bit less selfish though.
The most revolting, filthy, vile way to travel. I'm so embarrassed that our overseas guests would have to experience such gross unhygienic facilities....Ever heard of commercial cleaners? Every surface is sticky and stained YUCK!
Okay ferry Terminal. Staff could be more friendly and more efficient.
It really depends on which vessel you travel on as to the experience you will have. I did the ride from Wellington to Picton on the evening cruise and the ship I was on was the Kaitaki. It was a beautiful cruise and seriously one of the ferry crossings for scenery. I enjoyed the viewing lounge, though the seats in front of the window are prime space, so the sooner you can snag one, the better! The bathrooms were clean and accessible and the cafeteria was affordable (I did their fish & chips combo) with surprisingly decent food. The crew was very nice as well. I drove on w/a car and they were very good about instructions (it was my first time).
On the return trip from Picton to Wellington, I did the 2pm cruise on the Aratika. I did not like the layout of this ship as much and the viewing deck inside was not as enjoyable because the windows were not clear enough to see through. The walking decks were a bit more crowded on the outside as well, so I spent most of the cruise inside. Both the bar and cafeteria eatery were pretty packed, but they had a seafood basket w/fries and a pint special that was OK, but not as good as the fish & chips were. The crew for this cruise were not as good as explaining where to go after parking nor were their directions for parking on the actual ship. A guy had me pull up too close to a pipe and I tried telling him I would not be able to get out and he still insisted I pull up, but of course, I was too close and had to get out and then back in via the passenger side!
So, I would definitely recommend the ship and time of the first sailing as it was a much better experience.
Also, they are very strict about the check-in time, you have to be there at least 1hr before the departure time if you are bringing your car on. Check-in was surprisingly easy. I made my res online and you are sent a PDF voucher in confirmation email and you can show on your phone at the booth. They give you a dashboard ticket for your car and a passenger ticket for you, which you give to a guy as you board the ship.
I was there about 1hr15mins before and the cars began to load just a few mins past the 1hr mark. Besides, the earlier you get there the sooner you get on and off the ferry and the better your chances are for a good seat in the observation lounge.
Amazing experience. Staff members are wonderful and generous. I was allowed to see the bridge of the interislander and learned how the ship works. Even scored a tour. Food is expensive but delicious and cabins are very cosy. Much better than sleeping on the floor. Your allowed to use the showers during sailing and get a free hot drink when you book a cabin. I see the ship as a luxury and would sail on it all the time if I could, and if you get the opportunity to experience the emergency staff training drill (when they put life jackets on and prepare to abandon ship) do so the experience is amazing. They have the drill every week and it is wicked!
Love the interislander and it's crew.
Not impressed by the Kaiarahi. Checked in with a dog and got no instructions except when tried to board with all the other passengers. Had to walk on amidst the boarding cars, very little safety seperation to speak of, just a painted walkway! Treated like an embuggerance by the deck crew. The viewing decks and public areas were crammed to capacity during the sailing, nowhere to stow any bags or plug in a device. Felt more like a jostling airline experience than the advertised cruise. It would be nice on a sunny day when people can spread out on the outside decks, but mid winter, this was miserable. Full credit to the onboard crew however, who were very helpful and friendly. Bring your headphones and a book.
The food on board is really bad...had fries and nuggets... the bluebridge has much more better food
Travelling by ferry is really about an experience. And this experience needs to b done only once. I have travelled multiple times with friends or family and for work to get the car across.
It is expensive, cost us 350$ this time for a one way fare to take car n 3 adults n an infant. But it was easter holidays ending. And as it happens in all of New Zealand every business becomes a money ripping service during holidays.
Recommend booking as early as possible to get cheap fare.
Do not bother with food at the ship unless u r dying and have not had to eat for days. Food quality is not worth it. For 19$ v had a scrambled egg ( pic Below) coffee was not worth it either. 1/5 for taste and value.
Over all the ferry is 3/5, for an ok service, good views and getting the car across cheaply (usually costs 1000$ minimum to get a car across thru companies) .
Do it once in ur lifetime if u live in nz. and try booking air fares which will get u across quicker with less time wastage.
Every time I have sailed on the InterIslander I have had a really positive experience. And this is for many different reasons. One: The staff are so lovely/kind/helpful. One time I witnessed a very rude customer sharing an unrequested opinion (eg staff member was trying to get passengers without vehicles to move back, so passengers with vehicles could access the stairs to get to their cars - makes sense). This crazy passenger didn't have a vehicle but she had a massive go! However the staff member responded so calmly and professionally. Wow it was impressive. Two, I have to make a comment about the scones. These scones are possibly my favourite part of crossing this ferry. So delicious. With whipped cream too! It makes me happy every time. Three, there are incredible views throughout the entire trip. Four, it is very easy to get a vehicle on and off ferry. No stress involved. Five, the amount of single use plastic items seems to be reducing every time I use this service. Overall - would definitely recommend to a friend. Thank you.
What a beautiful way to go from North Island to South Island (or vice a versa). We did the upgrade lounge that served food and beverage, outstanding. Truly enjoyed wandering to each deck and took many photographs. The water had such beautiful color. Easy load in Wellington and unload in Picton.
Doesn't have much going for it. Wouldn't be there if it wasn't to catch a ferry.
Where we are now lam on da aratere show me our positive please.
Didn't really enjoy this experience. We were waiting for ages to be loaded onto the Ferry having arrived at their specified check-in time. The food was crazy expensive and nothing special. There wasn't enough comfortable seating and when it's raining you can't see a thing! It was very boring so wish we had known to bring some games or a book on board as the free WI-FI didn't work and the convenient store never opened! This was very expensive and wish to avoid it next time.
We took the KAITAKI to the south Islands, what a great experience! This massive ferry is a great way to travel and easily fits any size of vehicle. Also great restaurant and nicely staff.
On our way in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds we saw some dolphins and sealions, this comes as an extra bonus!
Our experience at the terminal and the ferry itself was quite pleasant. Fast and efficient service and a large selection of food and driks.
We took our rental car over to the South Island. The rental company Apex made the ferry booking for us and emailed us the necessary booking info.
Checkin was easy, with points-men all over the place to show you where/when to drive and park. The ferry ride itself was real chill. We spent most of our time in the seating area on deck 8, then we ate home-made sandwiches on deck 9 (Lookout), and the last 30 minutes we spent topside on deck 10. The ferry crew and annoucers were friendly and helpful, though I cannot say the same of some of our fellow travelers.
The disembarking at Picton was effortless and before we knew it we were on our way to Nelson.
New Zealand Intercity Ferry Marina. If you go by bus, you have to get off and walk a little.
Some staff at Wellington are a bunch of jobs worths. Checkin fine, lone security grandad then refused our hand luggage. Had to go back and check in (this is a bag I've used on loads of flights including budget airline's). Coffee shop staff make you stand in a certain place to order. Then back where you were to collect. Weird and Moody! Staff on the boat were much much better and friendlier. Lovely views.
But the start of the day did leave a bad taste in my mind. Traveling club was nice, not that it helped our baggage. Oh and one round of sandwiches for the club room is not enough.
BTW loads of space on the boat
If you drive a high car/ camper don't bother to come early. You will wait and see all the other cars loadet before you because the high cars and camper are the last.
The Idea if 500MB free WiFi is great but it is just not working.
Friendly and helpful staff. Lots of options for relaxing.
I understand delays happen, but really the captain blaming it partially on that we were running against the tide ? Not like the tides an unknown
Traveling throughout New Zealand from the US. We took the ferry from North island to South Island on Dec 18th. I lost my wallet somehow on the ferry or outside the port in Picton. I wasn t sure where. I left my name and number at the ferry port. I searched everywhere. 5 days later Cherie Overend called me to tell me if was found. She was so wonderful and had it couriered to our hotel down in Dunedin where I got it today (Dec 26th). Everything was still in it. All my cash, credit cards, ID, etc. Thank you Interislander and especially Cherie for the excellent customer service. You ve made my Christmas!!!
Brilliant experience crossing to picton (although really expensive)
I enjoyed my trip with them. Would go again. The food was good, staff are friendly. Loved the views
Never had a bad experience on the ferry or at the terminal. Sure it's not the flashiest ferry service in the world, but man, the views through the Marlborough Sounds or into Wellington harbour on a good day? Legendary!
The Picton team were absolutely awesome today - had a major issue with Europcar and the Interislander team came to the rescue. The lady at the check-in counter went above and beyond as did the two ladies at the baggage drop-drop. They were all fantastic to deal with - nothing was too much of an issue. Massively impressed with their willingness to help and approach to customer service.
Not a very pleasant trip, we use Interislander many times and seems that it is a continuous negligence regarding the cleaning. Honestly, it is very unpleasant to drive in the car full with smell from animals from the big trucks since you suffer more than 3 hours during the travel from the smelling human dejections. The toilets need to be clean!
It is not enough just to use a flush of spray. I hope somebody from Interislander office may have a look over this feedback and will initiate action.
Traveled on the kaitaki sunday night great boat we booked a cabin that was fantastic as we had to kids. Really wish your website advertised that the children's play area would be closed!!!!! 2 very disappointed and bored kids. Yes the website states limited things would be open but as a parent I think you should state what is closed if we had known the play area was shut we would have sailed at a different time
Good, Soft, ride on all the Boats #kaiarahi #aratere #kaitaki
Car ferry entry - fairly organised but quite long wait with no info.
What a contrast to 30 years ago. Super friendly staff, clean and comfortable seating and great reasonable priced food.
Well done interislander.
Handy when you dont wish to be in the south island on time for anything and enjoy travelling by road and Prefer spending truck-loads on petrol. Prefer flying and only utilized for last-minute emergencies where i cannot obtain a cheap air-fare.
I went on a ferry from here to Picton to go to Nelson at the end of May when winter was about to end. It took longer than expected and the sea was a bit rough. The next time I thought it was an airplane choice, it is a lasting memory that I crossed the Cook Strait by boat.
Ride and facilities were fine. Scenery was beautiful. Reason for 3 stars is the on location parking lot. $20 for 24 hours. Can only pay per day rates, so if you will be there 25 hours, you have to pay for 48. Very pricey.
It s kind of okay..... need more lounge areas. Wifi what a joke.... half a gb.....
I have used the interislander service for over 20 years. This weekend will be my last time. I drove my new ute, my pride and joy, on and drove it off with a fist or chain dent on the over the rear right hand door handle that was positioned well away from other cars. Im not Sherlock Holmes but it was pretty clear that the two dents were not caused by a car to car bumb or rough seas, the seas were fine, they were as flat as a pancake. I quickly realised that thd dents were a deliberate, malicious act of vandalism that happened when the car deck was locked away from the public. The deck crew did seem a bit miserable. I'm gutted. It will be fixed under insurance but I no longer trust this service that feels like the customers are doing them a favour being there. It feel like a service ran by unions. If we complain maybe they will strike? It's a sad day for nz.
Friendly and helpful customer service. Trained staff on board. Helpful ship crew have adequate knowledge about what to do in different scenarios.
It is difficult to manage such a huge amount of passengers when
disembark in either Picton or Wellington. Vehicle passengers leave the ship first, but a group of tourists went into the vehicle bay due to misunderstanding of the disembark procedure. Ship crews have been really helpful and guided them the way out. I think they are well-trained to handle different situations and Inter-islander did great jobs on staff training.
Fairly big terminal until a mass of people fills it! Definitely a good idea to come a bit earlier to get a place to sit or to get your spot in line to get on the ferry if you are interested in snagging a good seat for the ride if you aren't in a lounge. Lots of food options on board. We did end up in a lounge and they served us breakfast and lunch. The only unfortunate thing was that nothing was labelled and as vegans it was tough for us to figure out what we could eat. Staff were super nice though. Some nice views along the way.
A show crossing the Strait of Cook in the Interislander; In addition, it is the only way to take the car to the south island in addition to the other ferry, the Bluebridge that leaves the center. The ship is huge, with several decks and several cafe-restaurants; Wifi on board, shop, cinema ... but the best are the views of the strait, especially in the long arrival at the port of Picton. Awesome really.
Amazing views as it approaches the south island. Can get rough when the sea is choppy
Great staff, nice boat, quick and efficient service. Upgrade to Premium Plus lounge is well worth it if you don't have children. Wifi is non-existent / awful.
Getting in and out of the terminal is a nightmare. They don't have buses for the first and last ferry of the day to the train station so you need to walk 2.5 kms. There is not even a a bridge to cross to the street where buses stop. Looks like another taxi scam like many other places in the world. Make something better so people can go back to the city safely on public transport
I hate to let one encounter shape an entire experience but I was incredibly stunned at the drive-on ticket collector's behaviour as I boarded the ferry in my vehicle.
It was a two-pronged ticket collection and the man was not directing which lane to come forward. This is fine, humans can figure out these things for themselves, but by the time the driver and I had figured out who was going first (took all of 5 seconds) the ticket collector was rolling his eyes. I pulled up and handed my ticket to him and he snatched it out of my hand. What an incredibly unpleasant individual. He was an older gentleman. Its funny how different the attitude is from the onboard crew as opposed to the Marshal's at the terminal.
I booked online and it was together with the Coastal Pacific rail service from Wellington to Picton (via ferry) and Picton to Christchurch (via train). It made for a long day, but checkin was seamless (they transfered baggage from the ferry to the train for me). The staff was very friendly and accommodating both on the ferry and the train. There are plenty of places to sit and depending on your situation (solo, with family, in the pub, etc.) they really try to cater to everyone. The ferry itself is a bit old (1995), but appears to be well maintained. They have a reception desk that assists travelers with booking accommodation, or various attractions in the region. This was very convenient. If you have the time, I would definitely recommend this!
greatjourneysofnz.co.nz
