The Interislander Ferry
After what was to be our only less than pleasant night camping in Martinborough we were up early and off for Wellington and the ferry. We had one last gorge to traverse, and it was a doozy! Not only did it twist and turn, dive and roll, it was raining and full of traffic! The drivers were quite aggressive, rushing I assume to work in Wellington. After a longer than expected drive, and more traffic than we imagined possible in New Zealand, we arrived at the dock just in time to see our ferry pull in. (Above) After a short wait, we drove the campervan onboard. (Below) Large vehicles like ours go on the deck where trains normally go. See the rails in the floor?
Once on board we went for a quick explore and found this neat board of knots. (Above) Pam and I settled in to chat with a nice English couple while the children spent most of their time either watching TV or playing with gameboys. (below)
As the ferry approached the south island and began to make it's way through the long straits leading to Picton the rain stopped and the clouds began to break. I managed to talk the kids into going up onto the deck. It was quite windy, as you can see in Josh above! Jay and I munched on fish & chips for a while, amusing ourselves by watching the gusts of wind ruffle the water as they approached the ship before blast ing us. In fact, one of these gusts managed to snatch the last of the chips in their paper basket out of Jays hands and carry them overboard. The scenery, though, was spectacular, despite the wind.
Last revised 3/30/03
URL http://www.flyian.net/family/oworld/ferry.htm