Crossing Cook Strait

On the day we were due to cross Cook Strait, we left Plimmerton quite early—just before 6:30am. I’d thought this was possibly a bit of overkill for an approx. half-hour drive when we didn’t need to book in until 8am, but . . .  Dave was right. We arrived early (of course) and checked in straight away—not too much waiting (which is the one of the benefits of getting there early).

The girl checking us in told us we should have been stopped before we'd gotten as far as we had and directed us to where we were meant to be. Or she tried to.

We eventually found a helpful man in an orange high-viz vest that opened a gate to let us through so we were right at the front of a queue, ready to board.

Apparently, as we were a bit large, someone should have pulled us over before we’d gone down the lane following all the motorhomes . . .

Dave had met a lovely couple (Graeme and Maria) back at the Plimmerton NZMCA. They (and their dog Ruby) came over to chat with us as we waited for boarding to commence.

There were about 140 bikes to go on first. The annual Bert Munro Challenge—the largest motorcycle rally in the southern hemisphere—was being held in Invercargill later that week.

Before too long, it was our turn. One of the reasons we chose to go with the Interislander was because you could drive in one end and out the other—no turning around. This is possible with two of their ships: the Kaitaki and the Kaiarahi. We were on the Kaitaki. We’ve recently been told that travelling over on the Bluebridge is significantly cheaper so we will check that out the next time we cross over between the islands.

The crossing from Wellington to Picton takes 3.5 hours. This would be from 9:00am when we were due to sail. It was now 8:00am-ish and that would mean probably 4.5 hours before we got to return to our vehicles. We were I was a bit nervous about leaving Lucy alone for so long, but we didn’t have a lot of choice. I gave her a treat, with another one for her to find later on my seat, and headed upstairs. No doubt she demolished them both within the next five minutes.

Coffee and breakfast were calling. We found a table and, after our new friends joined us, Dave went off to order our breakfast. I’d hope to pop back down to check on Lucy before we sailed but they obviously lock the doors to the vehicle decks before 8:50am.

Before much longer we were moving, and I headed outside—where it was VERY windy—to take some photos.

Leaving Wellington.

That’s the North Island in the distance. And some of the vehicles on the deck below. We were parked under cover on a lower deck.

We’d been assured that a northerly wind is okay—it's the southerlies that cause choppy seas—and the wind was coming from the north today. Although it was extremely windy the entire crossing, the seas were calm. Many people braved the wind to enjoy the views. This is approaching the South Island.

In a short space of time we were entering the Marlborough Sounds.

 I believe this is a salmon farm.

 

Houses along the way where people live with up-close views of the Sounds.

Does it look like black goats on their front lawn?

There were plenty of others enjoying the Sounds.

Interesting artwork on the side of this boat.

Dave pointed out a seal, but by the time I managed to focus on it, it was just a black blob in the water. Then we saw dolphins! They're not as easy to photograph as I’d imagined. You find them in the viewfinder, zoom in, focus . . . and then they’re gone! This was all I managed to get. At least they’re recognisable!

We passed the other Interisland ferry, the Kaiarahi, heading for Wellington.

This is Waikawa Bay . . .

. . .  and as we rounded a corner, we could see our destination, Picton.

As soon as we were allowed, we went back down to the vehicle decks to greet Lucy. Both treats had been devoured, and although she was happy to see us, she wasn’t at all distressed. What a relief.

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