Cook Strait Ferry
The 3-hour Wellington→Picton crossing into the Marlborough Sounds — a scenic voyage in itself.
Why go
It's a necessary link that doubles as a highlight — the Marlborough Sounds passage is genuinely beautiful.
The Cook Strait crossing links the North and South Islands, sailing from Wellington across the strait and threading the final hour through the steep, drowned valleys of the Marlborough Sounds into Picton. Two operators carry vehicles, so the campervan comes too: Bluebridge (ships Livia and Connemara) and Interislander (Kaitāki). On our crossing day, Tue 10 Nov 2026, the daytime Wellington→Picton sailings are Bluebridge 8:15am (arr 11:45am) and 1:30pm (arr 5:15pm), and Interislander 3:30pm (arr 7:00pm); overnight runs sail too. From Picton it's a 25-minute hop south to Grovetown. The Sounds approach in the last hour is one of the most scenic ferry runs anywhere.
- Time
- ~3.5 h crossing
- Price
- campervan + passengers ~$300–500 depending on length/season
- Hours
- Wellington→Picton, daily: Bluebridge 8:15am, 1:30pm, 8:30pm (+2:00am); Interislander ~3:30am & 3:30pm. Crossing ~3.5 h.
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