[moe]

Hello again everyone :)

Does anyone know if the Interislander Ferry from Picton to Wellington is the best ferry service to go with for getting from the South to the North islands in NZ with a motorhome on board the vessel?

We are currently deciding which company to go with (Interislander or Bluebridge) and thought it might be wise to get some advise from peeps who might have already travelled on board such vessels.

Also noticed there are 3 vessels from Interislander to travel on. Kaitaki, Aratere and Arahura. We are not sure which one to go on, don't know if one is better than the other, etc, etc. Anyone prefer one to the other for any reason?

We will be travelling on either one around early Jan (not sure of the date yet) and will be booking from outside of New Zealand. Is it best to book over the internet for cheaper deals for the ferrys? Does anyone know if it is safe to book the ferry that way regards to having to print out booking vouchers and such and using that for checking in for the ferry?

Also, does anyone know if travelling by car/van can be done comfortably from Wellington to Auckland in 5 days or under? (preferably 4 and under...)

Thanks a bunch guys! :nice1

~ moe aka Jo

[Angie and Mick]

Hi

We went with Interislander with a motorhome,no problems. We did have a rough crossing though as very windy and BIG Waves. I hope your crossing is a better one.

If I remember right, not sure if pre booked can get discount, or that might be with the 10 ten discount card. Check out the prices.

We did not book the ferry until in NZ about two weeks before. We travelled across end of Novemeber. No sure if would need to pre-book well in advance for January. Could asked the ferry company who will advise you I am sure.

[pinkpiggy]

Hi Jo

We used the Interislander in April this year and booked it while still in the UK as it was Easter Sunday. It was really great - they even had a magic act on for the kids and they were all given Easter eggs!

Very smooth crossing and beautiful scenery.

[jodieinchch]

The ferries get very busy in the peak seasons (Nov-Feb) so I would advise booking it in advance if you already know the dates you are hoping to travel. If you are flexible then space is tight, but we booked ours when here with a few days notice, we were just more limited to which time we could travel.

[keeweescot]

As far as booking online goes, I booked everything (flights, inter-islander ferry, accommodation, tranz alpine train, rental cars) online when we went out to nz in April & no probs at all. can't remember which ferry it was but mum has been on them all (including bluebridge) so will check with her (mums are always right! :D ) & come back to you.
4 days is plenty of time to drive Auckland - Wellington - to quote mum again, she has done Hamilton to Nelson (including ferry crossing) in 1 day, very long day admittedly! so you'll have plenty of time to stop & smell the flowers!

[nippa&pippa]

We used ferry crossing in april with motoravan from picton to wellington by interislander, fab but rougher than english channel!
Also we did trip from wellington to auckland via rotoura then taupa (spent half day doing quadbiking!) then coromandel(2days stop) in a week with campervan, so i can said you get from wellington to auckland less than 5 days easy without long stop.
Sophia

[Brijan]

Hi, the ferry crossings can be booked over the internet with no problems, the sooner you book then the better deals are available, we've only used the interislander but friends have used Bluebridge,
The Kaitaki is a much larger boat than the other two on the interisland line so the crossing may be a little smoother in that one.

Wellington to Auckland in 4 days is no problem at all, we have driven it in 9 hours but that was in a car with not many stops.

:)

[veronica]

think that Bluebridge is cheaper but not sure on that, just that a lot of the backpackers opt to us them over the interislander and they usually can chase a good deal.

[sarahw]

Agree - Bluebridge is supposed to be cheaper, and I heard from friends who have lived here 20-odd years & used the ferries a lot that the Bluebridge staff are a bit more friendly than the Interislander ones but am yet to try Bluebridge to find out.

[moe]

Oh my gosh guys! Thanks you sooooooooooo much! You have helped me with so much information that is going to help me majorly! Thanks a bunch :clap All I have to do now is decide which one we are going to sail on. Kinda swinging toward InterIslander.... have been doing some research on the Kaitaki and the other ships there. But I will be checking out Bluebridge as well and I will let you know which one I decide to go with. I am going to contact InterIslander directly right now, so I'll let you know what I find out.

Thanks again everyone! Y'all are just the best :D *virtual hugs*

[moe]

Hey everyone! :-)

Just wanted to let u know that I have booked with the InterIslander Ferry. I contacted them directly and got a further discount that way than what was showing through their website. So all has worked out good with them and I'm very pleased.

Thanks again for all of your help and advice, you're the best! *mwah!*