WELLINGTON: CITY

Bluebridge Ferry building is where you can book your ferry tickets to sail across the Cook Strait to Picton on your way to exploring the South Island.

We arrived in mid-March, planning to explore the South Island in Autumn. We drove directly to the ferry building to book our tickets for the next mornings sailing, and then had a look around at our options for staying overnight.

Note that, you should normally book your tickets well ahead of sailing, especially over the busy summer holiday season.

There is a public carpark just around the corner which is also set up with powered sites for motorhomes and caravans. 

The next morning was a beautiful sunny day, so we had a look around the wharf before queuiing up to drive onto the ferry. It was an excellent trip across the Cook Strait and into the Queen Charlotte Sound.

There was food available on the ferry, and comfortable chairs for the 5 hour trip. However, the ferry was showing signs of its age, and some of the chair reclining mechanisms didn't work.