InterIslander Ferry - Wellington to Picton

A really enjoyable part of our holiday. All of the way from boarding to disembarking the staff were wonderful and so organised. The ship was really clean and comfortable. Plenty of seating. Food, coffee available. Standing on deck as we came into Picton was fantastic. The scenery was perfect. Dock area is right in town so no worries getting to our accomodation. We were lucky with perfect weather 😁

Easy booking online. On and off loading process easy. Had a wonderful sunny day, smooth crossing.

Amazing, great staff and wonderful Captian

Nice, comfortable seating annd well organized. It was a very calm sea for us so not too much rocking on board. Even though it was full, didn’t feel too crowded. Nice way to travel and will do it again.

Departure and arrival on time Journey in the fjords or canals arriving on very nice picton and beautiful landscapes

+1

Depending on the season the crossing can be very choppy. We went in Feb 2026 on the first ferry of the day and were the only ferry out that day and they didn’t go the following day Cancellations and delays can happen as the weather in area changes fast. Be prepared for changes Treat yourself and buy access to the lounge- it was fantastic! Light food and drinks available and very comfortable seats in the lounge. They also offer free bus in Picton to the town centre

I totally appreciate the difficulties the weather can create. Wellington and Cook’s Straight had some adverse weather on the weekend. We had booked for Thursday, and apparently they were still playing catch-up with a backlog of passengers and whatever from Sunday onwards as a result of that weather. Scheduled for the 08:45 sailing so booked an Uber for 07:00 to make sure we were there on time. Stumbled out of bed early, planning to pack up and be downstairs at the hotel in time for the Uber. Email dinged and our departure has been changed to 11:45. Rebooked the Uber and tried to figure out how to spend a few extra hours in a hotel room. Uber’d to the terminal and checked in. Sat and waited, and waited. Boarding was to be at 10:30 and finally announced at 11:15. After considerable confusion as to who went where out which door to board, we walked aboard through the car park in the belly of the ship and up the stairs to the 7th floor deck. We had booked seats in the lounge, and it was nice to have the use of the lounge. Departure was finally at about 12:15. Nice crossing, clear blue sky and calm seas. Arrived in Picton about 12:15, and, again, some confusion as to who went where when to disembark. And again, we waited, and waited ,and waited. Apparently there was some issue with the suction system that attached the boat to the dock??? Whatever it was kept everyone standing in line until we were finally able to disembark well over an hour later. So, originally scheduled to arrive in Picton at 12:15, and after we finally arrived, picked up our luggage and rental car and left the ferry terminal, it was well after 5:00 p.m. We missed an entire afternoon of sightseeing along the road and instead had to hurry down along our way to our next stop.

We took the ferry and paid the extra for the Premium Lounge. In my opinion it was well worth the extra. It gave us more comfortable chairs with a good view. Less people and well taken care of food wise. Sandwiches coffee juice before we left harbour, a good breakfast once underway and some more food an hour before landing. Staff very helpful and collected all the dishes on a regular basis. We could charge our phones and use wifi during whole journey. Ferry left on time and arrived early. Very smooth the whole way. Some great scenery too. Overall delighted.

A very good trip with great landscapes, it was all quiet, with an amazing view I recommend this Travessia.

We wanted to buy a cup of coffee on the ferry. Easy right? NO! We were told that they 'don't take cash'! Last we heard, cash is legal tender. A good way to lose business.