Ferry to South Island: Wellington to Marlborough Sounds

After some wonderful time in North Island at Rotorua and Tongariro, I spent half a day in Wellington and then crossed to South Island on the ferry! With only half a day, I do not have many info and tips to share, but here are the few I collected. And in the second half of this post, I tell you all about the ferry ride to South Island.

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INFO & PLANNING TIPS - WELLINGTON

During my morning in Wellington (which surprisingly was not windy at all that day) I took to cable car to the heights of Wellington. I stayed 15 min admiring the view and decided to go back down and enjoyed a stroll along the water. the waterfront is very nice with a lot of activity. There were people sitting at cafés, riding bikes or rollers… a nice vibe… so I understand why Wellington is known for it.

Wellington has been nicknamed the coolest little capital in the world by Lonely Planet.

TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Wellington

Getting to Wellington

Wellington is at the Southern tip of North Island
It is a 650km - 8 hour drive from Auckland

Visiting Wellington

Check out this awesome article by Young Adventuress about why she loves Wellington
Possible activity: Cable Car - Its lower terminal can be found on Lambton Quay. Get detailed info and a map on the Wellington cable car website
Possible activity: Te Papa museum - Get detailed info on the Official Te Papa Museum website

WELLINGTON CABLE CAR

TE PAPA MUSEUM

I am not a big fan of cities or museum. I love spending time in nature. But considering its worldwide status I decided to have a quick look at the famous Te Papa museum.

If you go to the top flour of the museum there is an access to a terrace on one corner. It is not a very nice platform but it gives a good view of the city center of Wellington and the water front.

The museum is quite huge. If you love museums you can spend several days there if you want. Exhibitions are quite different from historical explanation, to jewelry display and interactive activities. The one below allows you to trigger screens displaying information about various parts of New Zealand:

INFO & PLANNING TIPS - FERRY CROSSING TO SOUTH ISLAND

After half a day back in civilization I was ready to go back to nature and the ferry crossing was welcomed. As it was not a windy day, the crossing was quiet, no motion sickness Yeah! To reach Picton, South Island we went through peaceful Marlborough Sounds. Some chatted, some slept, some took a lot of pictures (like me) and some just admired the view. A beautiful afternoon!

North and South Island are separated by the Cook Straight (named after James Cook, the first European commander to sail through it, in 1770). It is 22km at its narrower point. The only 2 options to get from one to the other are flying and the ferry.

TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Ferry Crossing to South Island

The ferry is the Interislander. Get detailed info on the ferry website.
It is a 3 hour journey. A lot of it is in Malbourough sounds with incredible views - the first half hour and the last hour and a half should not be spent looking at a book or a screen 🙂
The ferries have many services such as a small movie room, games for kids, cafés and bars
Don’t forget your motion sickness pills. Wellington is very windy and a quiet ride like I had is very rare

Last views of North Island from the ferry

At the beginning of the trip we sail along the coaast of North island for a little while. It you look at the map of Wellington and the Cook straight you will understand why. On that area we saw is significant wind farm.

Malborough Sound

To reach the small city of Picton in South Island, the boat has to sail through Malbourough Sounds and this part of the trip was an absolute feast for the eyes. I love those sounds with the interesting shapes and contrasting colors.