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Is there a ferry between North and South Island New Zealand?

Ferry From North Island and South Island Travel between the 'coolest little capital' city of Wellington and the scenic town of Picton. There are two ferry companies to choose from: Interislander Ferry and Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferry. It takes around three hours to go from the North Island to the South Island by ferry.



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Taking the ferry as a walk-on passenger Taking 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.

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The two islands are extremely complimentary of each other yet offer very different things. 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!

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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