Book Interislander passenger ferry tickets along with your bus travel. The 92km ferry between Wellington and Picton takes 3 and a half hours, and has been described by many as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world.
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The 92km ferry between Wellington and Picton takes 3 and a half hours, and has been described by many as one of the most beautiful ferry rides in the world. InterCity buses in Wellington and Picton connect with the two daily ferry crossings and ferry tickets can be purchased as part of your booking.
New Zealand's most famous and beautiful ferry route is between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island. The journey between the two islands is commonly referred to as 'crossing the Cook Strait'. The sailing time is around 3.5 hours (weather dependent).
Taking the ferry as a walk-on passengerTaking the ferry without a vehicle is the cheapest - and also the most convenient - way of crossing the strait - and if you book with us you will leave your existing rental vehicle at one end, and pick up a new one at the other.
Generally speaking, if you want to engage with city culture or explore Maori history, the North Island is for you. If you want to deep-dive into nature, the South Island has plenty of lakes, mountains, fjords, and glaciers to discover.
The best time to visit New Zealand is during the summer months of December to March. Expect long, bright, sunny days and temperatures between 61?F and 75?F. It's an ideal time to visit the lovely beaches or enjoy the many outdoor activities available, such as hiking and mountain biking.
For prearranged rental cars to numerous destinations between islands, you will be able to drop off your vehicle at the Wellington ferry terminal and resume your trip with a new vehicle supplied by the same car hire company at no additional cost upon your arrival at the Picton Ferry Terminal.
Cook Strait can also be one of the world's roughest stretches of water. It's part of the westerly wind belt known as the Roaring Forties. As the only gap between the mountainous main islands of the country, the strait acts like a huge wind tunnel.
The South Island is very different from the North Island. For starters it's larger than the North Island and generally considered more beautiful. It also has gorgeous coastline, though it's best known for the many mountains and fjords that define its inland.
It's a no-brainer that if you are travelling to New Zealand for more than a couple of weeks, you should visit both islands! Yet, with limited time off work and/or a limited budget, you may have no other choice than to make the most of either the North Island or South Island. One island isn't “better” than the other.
For a 10-day trip, we recommend visiting up to four or five different destinations. Our 10-day itinerary locations are some of the most popular: Auckland the City of Sails, Wellington the cultural, art and food capital, and Queenstown the home of world-class adrenaline activities.
I want to see which country is cheapest to fly to from New Zealand. It turns out that the most inexpensive flight from Auckland is to Tonga for $239. Other affordable starting destinations are Samoa ($255), Fiji ($273), the Cook Islands ($293), and Vanuatu ($321).
The cost of living in New Zealand, for one person in a major city, is between NZ$3,000-NZ$4,000 per month. A family of four can expect to need NZ$5,000-NZ$6,000 per month to live.
It would be engineeringly impossible to build a bridge or tunnel between the North and South Islands of NZ using current engineering technology. Cook Strait is very deep and the several earthquake fault lines would preclude a tunnel.