It definitely deserves to be #1. We went in 2016, picking up our campervan in Christchurch, toured South Island, took the Ferry to Wellington, toured North Island and finally flew home from Auckland. My wife said it was our best holiday ever, and so do I. Go for it.
New Zealand has been my #1 bucket list destination for over 23 years as well, ever since I saw the first Lord Of The Rings movie and God willing I will finally be visiting it this coming February!!! Can’t wait. Don’t give up and keep working towards that goal and hopefully soon you can also visit it too. Kia Ora!!!
This is exactly the kind of video I love to watch. I highly doubt I will ever visit New Zealand in my lifetime, but I truly enjoyed seeing it in your video. I would have absolutely LOVED that ferry ride, and being able to experience it through your video was a real pleasure.
"Not really a boat person, lets get back in the air" 🤣Having done it a few times I can say that landing at wellington airport in a strong crosswind will fix that. Great Video.
This ship was originally built for Irish Ferries in the 1990s as the Isle of Inisfree she was then chartered to this company in the 2000’s and was then bought outright , the new Isle of Inisfree now runs between Dover and Calais on the Channel Crossing as one of three Irish Ferries Vessels on the Route
Still remember the fantastic Irish Ferries crew letting 10 year old me visit the bridge on the Innisfree in June 1997 just after it started on the Pembroke-Rosslare route!
As a regular traveler on the Interislander, it was super weird to see Jeb sitting in the exact same seat I always choose in the Plus Lounge. I have found over the years that the Plus Lounge is well worth the additional cost. Fun fact: the window in the lounges are tinted, so you can see out but people standing on the deck can’t see in. And some people that stand on the deck aren’t aware that the lounge is there. Consequently you can sometimes observe some… interesting… behavior.
@@fallenangel_899 During a weekday sailing I once saw a guy who thought he was alone on the deck perform an entire dance routine. There was no music, just this lone guy dancing away. One of the more entertaining crossings I've experienced... The few others in the Lounge were also impressed...
I went across at night, very still night. It was just beautiful. We had company accross the strait an Albatross was following the ship.I don’t know whether you went further South than shown in your videos Milford Sound & the surrounding areas is just beyond beautiful. I have been to Norway,in my opinion the Fjordland in NZ is the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen .
I live in the South Island so have travelled on this Ferry quite often. I enjoy it when it's quite rough and the waves splash up the windows lol. Also have often watched dolphins riding the waves alongside the boat and dashing across the bow.
Oh, your video brings great memories back, when I did it in 1993. Thank you very much, Suzanne and Jeb, for sharing your wonderful documentary video with us.
Yeah that was a calm crossing of the cook strait... its in the top 5 roughest bodies of water in the world..one of other others in at the bottom of the south island!! Having traveled on the ferries many times on some pretty rough sailings, I always enjoy a calm one!! And on the pronunciation of the place names, said like a New Zealander! 5/5👍
I have done that crossing 4 times. 3 times were perfect but the last time I thought we were going to die, it was so rough. People were throwing up everywhere. I said I will never do it again! Of course, that was many years ago and I guess the ferries have improved since then. But you never know what the sea is going to be like.
The was a calm day crossing Cook Strait. 'InterCity' bus is usually late, as it originates in Christchurch. The Kaitaki Plus Lounge is located in the quietest area of Kaitaki. Interislander is the ferry operation of Kiwirail - a government own company. On of the ferries - Aratere, carries both rail, vehicles and passengers.There is a misconception that you don't need reservations but you do, especially foot passengers. The 4 ferries main role is freight trucks, followed by vans/cars with drivers and passengers and foot passengers are at the bottom of the list. I am still curious if you guys traveled on the Northern Explorer train from Wellington to Auckland.
I've always enjoyed your videos and as an American expat living here in New Zealand, I was really excited to see this one. Enjoy your time in New Zealand!!! If you get the chance and have the time, get on up to the far north and see some of the world’s finest beaches. Congratulations on 500k subscribers. Been a long time viewer...
Years ago I went on the Arahura, took the truck on, parked up and went into the truckers lounge. 3 Navy guys came in,the seas were pretty rough that day. One of the Sailors was seasick, yep,a Sailor, seasick.
New Zealand is on my bucket list and it is every bit as beautiful as I had imagined. The only other places I had seen it was in the movie, Lord of The Rings. Thank you so very much for allowing us to ride along on your breathtaking trip. Kev
Lake Tekapo (when the lupins are out in springtime) is one of my favourite places in NZ. There's an amazing calmness about the lake and the little town of Tekapo.
Hi Kevin. Have you also seen The Last Samuri starring Tom Cruise? Filmed in New Zealand because we had a Mountain that looked just like Mt Fuji in Japan. There have been dozens of movies filmed in New Zealand, not just LOTR. The TV shows Zena, Warrior Princess plus Hercules starring Keven Sorbo were all filmed here. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Whale Rider. I don't want to drown you with hundreds of lists of movie names. Oh the number one grossing movie, Avatar plus the follow-ups (Avatar 2 has just been released, plus 3 and 4 were all filmed here in New Zealand. James Cameron has lived here for many, many years.
The ferry is so much fun. Amazing views. When I did it there was a junior rugby team on board & they performed the Haka. Great. And oh yes, I flew back ... windy landing in Wellington the scariest ever!
I actually enjoy the whole interislander experience, done it a few times now in various weathers and still rate it as a trip within a trip, truly unique.
Glad you are enjoying your time here in NZ. You may wish to let people know that the premier lounge is 18+. It includes all the food, drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic. As it has limited capacity it’s never as crowded as the rest of the ferry. Something to keep in mind if you are travelling at peak season. When all the ferries had rail decks, it was great to watch the wagons stunted on and how the effected the level of the ship.
My wife and I did the ferry from Wellington to Pickton back in 1999. That was 23 years ago. I’m not sure what the ships name was nor the ferry line. But, the ferry did accommodate train cars. I specifically remember watching them load up. We also booked first class/premium. It was a nice little lounge that no one else used except us as I recall it was only US$30 per person more than the regular ticket. There was no special meal involved in the lounge, but it did include snacks and beverages as part of the fare. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone who goes to New Zealand.
As a kiwi, I have traveled many times on the Interislander mainly when it was operated by NZ Rail. The seats were hard, there was a very small gift shop that sold gimicky items, no movies and the pies (the old railways ones) could break teeth. I traveled frequently on the Aranui and was singularly unimpressed with the experiene. This video demonstrated an incredible turn around in traveling across Cook Strait. Great video.
Reading your post brought back memories of when I was a young girl and my Mum taking me from Wellington to Auckland on the old rattlers that used to do the journey. The highlight for me was when we used to stop at Taihape for a pie and a cup of tea - the tea handed to you in the old white railway cups and saucers. Those were the days. I am old and grey now and live in Australia, but I loved hearing your story.
In January 2023 I was in New Zealand for 10 days. I went to Kaikoura, Wellington, Rotorua and Auckland. I was on that ferry on the 8th of Jan. The water was rough and we didn't go on the deck because it was freezing when we went. I then went to the Cook Islands but the Ferry is AMAZING.
Next time your here in Nw Zealand, you should compare Your interisland ferry to the Blue bridge ferry’s which follow the same routes as the inter islander ones. They too do the ferry trips from Picton to wellinton, wellington to picton. Using the native language of New Zealand this phrase, Kia pai tō rā, in english means, Have a good day!
We took the same trip a couple of weeks ago, smooth sailing and a pleasurable trip. However I've also been on the ferry in gale force winds and 23 foot swells, which is the point at which sailings are cancelled. Winter waves in Cook Strait can get up to about 14 metres (42 feet). The sister ship to the Kaitaki (Awatere) carries up to 27 rail wagons and the 2 bigger new ferries due for delivery in 2025/6 will both have rail wagon facility. You know you are in for a rough trip when the crew secure all vehicles with chains to stop them being thrown around. You can see the anchoring points set flush into the deck between the rows of cars. Really good video as usual.
Cars are never lashed, trucks are always lashed, but with more if it's rough. They won't park vehicles athwartships around the stern if it's rough though
@@benmac7315 You are right, I did see that trucks were lashed. Maybe it has changed now but when I travelled on the Aramoana back in 1968 on a really rough day trucks and rail wagons were double chained and cars were securely lashed (lessons from the Wahine disaster were still very fresh). On my trip a couple of weeks ago there were dozens of lashing straps tied onto the hull rails on the car decks, even after all the trucks has been tied down so I just assumed they were still lashing cars down in rough weather.
@Bob Sellars aramoana was a long time ago and a totally different ship in all respects. Now no cars are ever lashed partly because there is no where to lash to on most cars. They do have enough lashings onboard to do storm lashings on a full load of trucks which on kaitaki is about 65 with no cars onboard so if passengers/cars are onboard there will be alot of spare lashings. And on Aratere rail is also always lashed, and again double lashings if it's rough
Love this . I used to love the ferry especially going from Wellington to Picton, When we lived in Picton we had a boat & loved exploring the sounds with dolphins swimming around us. Recently I did the ferry to Shetland Islands- & Newcastle to Amsterdam . A favourite was from Greece to Venice where we slept in our camper & was near the railing.Next year I am going from Barcelona to Genoa by ferry.
I only took it from the North to the South Island. I loved that you drop off your rental car at the ferry terminal in Wellington and pick up a new one in Picton on the same reservation (as long as you spent 72 hrs per island on the same reservation.
Wellington to Blenheim by plane is 80km/50 miles, making it one of the shortest commercial flights in the world. If you want to know how bad it can get in Cook Strait, have a search for MV Wahine. And it's not the worst maritime disaster in Cook Strait, but because it was recent enough to be captured on film it's more widely known than the wreck of the SS Penguin.
I flew to Picton once from Wellington and the views are just as spectacular, a totally different view than the ferry, I would recommend doing that flight just once to experience it.
I called this one last week! 🤣 When I rhode this Ferry in 2019 in the opposite direction their were several trucks of sheep on board so we were graced with noisey sheep every time we where around the car deck.
I have memories of Cook Strait. Next door to us lived Captain Mcleish who was master of the Lyttleton ferry (Wellington to Christchurch) I remember being taken on to the bridge and shown around by him. One night we were returned to Wellington as the ferry collided with something and we never found out what it was. The worst story of Cook Strait was the tragic rock smash of the ferry Aramoana and its loss of life .
Interesting seeing how the kiwi’s cross between their islands! If you’re ever considering visiting Tasmania, you should compare this ferry to it’s Australian counterpart, the Spirit of Tasmania, which I happen to be sailing on right now! Would make a great vid!
Some Tips: 1. go outside, even if its rough you don't want to be inside when its bad. 2. If its late and you need to sleep just sleep under the table, its very common on the night ferries. 3. Check the weather the furry does run in very rough weather, I once went in over 7 M swells.
Some time ago they had a high speed ferry (jet cat ?) across the straits. During the initial strait the speed was restricted…..but good grief once out in open water, standing on the back with views of the engines at full power….. good grief as good as a rollercoaster…..oh and yes on day I went the open water can get rough
wow the price of the lounge has gone up since the last time i was on it, but the food looks like a better quality... and btw, the current fleet does take rail cars, i have video of them loading the ferry with railcars using a remote engine ( a guy uses a remote , simlar to a drone one ), its quite a sight to see
Great video! Just like the train one. I love New Zealand, I can't wait to go in their summer and play golf on some of the most beautiful courses in the world.
Great to see these old ships still playing their trade. These old Irish and British ferries get a new lease of life down under, including the MV Connemara which I believe is just taking up service on the Cook Strait. If you want to see how rough it gets, look up MV Suiliven on this crossing, horrendous!!! (Also a former ship from the Isle of Lewis in Scotland)
Looks like the Interislander was a fantastic way to connect the south to the north island. New ferries coming to accommodate railcars is very interesting info. Nice video.
The Wellington/Picton/Wellington ferry services started in 1962 as a rail/road link between North and South Islands as Cook Strait Inter-Island ferries by the NZ Railways Department.There were 3 passenger/vehicles/rail ferries and one freight/rail ferry.
Great video. The ferries can already carry train carriages and was originally advertised as a road and train "bridge" across cook strait. In bad weather they sometimes switch to freight only and delay passenger trips.
@VhenRaTheRaptor are you trying to teach me something I don't know? I've known that for a good few years now, probably before it became general public knowledge. Plus even if I didn't I think you'll find this very video said it. The op said that the ferries are already rail capable and I clarified that with its only the one that is.
Loved the video. Well done. Well paced, good storytelling. I'm a NZ er who hasn't been on the inter ilander ferries since 1999, so it was good to see how it looks now. Thank you
I hope one day you come back across to Australia and take the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Geelong to Devonport. It's a 12 hour journey, which can be done during the day (generally summer months) and night (all year). New ferries will be coming in the new few years.
Love watching all your videos Jeb. Even though I am a Kiwi (live and bred NZ) still love viewing all videos on you travels all around the World. Must be great to have Heeeeeaps of Doe Rey Me ( means money. LOL) Just teasing mate. Please Jeb. Keep up the great videos you keep on offering everyone who tunes to your site.
Talk about luxury!!! my last trip across the Cook Straight was in 1974. The old ferries and rough weather. Didn't bother me or mates as students, drinking and eating was the main plan
I'm pleased you had a relatively calm day for your journey, Suzanne. Believe the crew... it ain't always like that. 🙂 Great footage: those views in Tory Channel are spectacular. Thanks for sharing.
Have done the journey 10s of times, worst one we had 7m swells, was 10m but they delayed it. It's an amazing way to go if it's calm, otherwise just take the 25m flight.
I used the ferry service the first time I visited NZ many years ago. Unlike Jeb when I sailed we had 3m waves, I found out that I did have sea legs and kept my breakfast down. The other trips I did which was really worth it was Doubtful Sound.
Well when traveling between islands, use the Bluebridge or fly, don't use Interislander. Kaitaki shat itself in the straight the other week. Lost power and almost got thrown into rocks. Aratere has a history of issues too.
We enjoy taking ferries but our experience (so far!) is limited to repeated trips on the Stena from Northern Ireland to Scotland, the Northlink to the Shetland Islands, and the Pelee Islander here in Ontario, Canada. Tell Suzanne that Shetland is amazing BUT that is a notorious crossing. Going was smooth, returning was WILD. We're good sailors but you should look at some of the footage online. New Zealand is on our bucket list, near the top. Hope to make it there.
I have crossed the Cook Strait on both the Interislander and the other one whose name I can't remember, seems like blue was in the name. On the Wellington to Picton trip, we had 4 meter seas and barf bags were in short order. On the return trip, weather was much better and going outside on the deck was comfortable. So much of the trip is in NO WAKE areas so it takes a while.
