Cook
Strait, New Zealand
"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 across Cook Strait 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 Interislander is the long-established operation - they are a part of Tranz Rail, the country's only rail operator. And there's Strait Shipping, which started out as a freight line but now operates the Santa Regina which carries cars and passengers.
The InterIsland Line.
Their website will give you timetables and fares - they cross each way five times a day.
The ships - the Arahura, Kaitaki and 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 $60, children (2-14) $30, infants free. For cars, campers, minibuses, vans under 6m in length the standard fare is $210 which includesthe cost of the driver. There are off-peak rates available - ranging up to 50% discounts but with limited availability and special conditions applied.
During the summer months the Interislander 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 is cheap-fare space available on the earlier sailing - and that's not likely, especially in the summer.
Strait Shipping
The New Zealand owned option, with a simpler and often cheaper fare structure is Strait Shipping 's Bluebridge service. Their price for carrying a car across the strait is only $120, people are $49 one way . From mid-2006 they will be offering up to four return passenger sailings every day thanks to the addition of another vessel to the fleet .
Twice a day day their commercial freight ship crosses, and you can book unaccompanied vehicles on that. There are no passenger places on the freight ship - a vessel designed mainly to carry trucks - so you will have to travel on a Bluebridge sailing 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.
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What to see, what to do, and why to go there.
Diving, fishing, golf, rafting, sailing, skiing - and more.