Three weeks in New Zealand - 4/12 - 5/4/2024

Day 12-Breakfast and ferry crossing- 4/22/2024

Today is our last day in the North Island and we will be crossing Wellington to Picton by Ferry but first we have time to stop by for Breakfast.  We were just walking downtown and stumble upon Floriditas.

The restaurant looks nice and inviting so we decided to get in.

Store front.

The interior is warm and inviting.

Cappuccino and cafe latte to start the morning.

I ordered a toast with scrambled eggs and served with crispy potatoes.  Omg, these potatoes are delicious and the toast is also really good.

We also ordered a delicious scones with raisin and butter.  

It was a really nice breakfast!

Ferry from Wellington to Picton

 From the North Island (Wellington) to the South Island (Picton) via Cook Strait and Marlborough Sounds, the journey takes 3.5 hours and about 57 miles in distance.

We are headed to Queen's Wharf to catch the ferry.

Staying in line to drive in the parking lot.

It turned out me make the wrong turn and went to the Bluebridge Ferry terminal instead of the Inter-Island Terminal.  When we realized we were in the wrong line, we tried to make a U turn but all the streets are blocked so to make a long story short we barely had any time to get to the Inter-Island terminal but we made it with 5 minutes to spare.

We are now at the inter-island Ferry Terminal from Queen’s Wharf and here we are waiting in line to drive inside the ferry.

A traffic controller on the ferry guiding cars on where to park.

Driving in the ferry and parking.

There are a lot of cars but it is well organized.

Once we parked our car we decided to check out the ferry.

We are now leaving Queen's Wharf.

As the ferry is making it way out of the Queen’s Wharf in Wellington, it passes through or near one of the container and freight handling zones of the port, which is part of the busy, working harbor that supports New Zealand’s imports and exports.

This is the commercial port that surrounds Queen’s Wharf, especially to the north near Aotea Quay. There are rows of shipping containers, stacked high in various color,red, blue, white, and yellow.

Once the ferry exit the natural harbor we are now entering Cook Strait.

This ferry is returning to Wellington as our is departing to Picton

We are now on the top deck of the ferry.  It was so windy and cold.

From the upper deck looking down, we can see cars and huge trucks on the ferry.

Sailing in the Cook Strait.

As the ferry exits Wellington Harbor, we passed the rocky coastline of Eastbourne and Pencarrow Head, where dark jagged rocks jut from the sea.

The Remutaka Ranges are visible inland with scattered houses nestled high up in Breaker Bay.

The front of the ferry.

As the ferry enters the Marlborough Sounds, it slips past tall, forested cliffs, with rocky outcrops near Cape Koamaru and Perano Head.

Beautiful and dramatic part of the journey as the ferry crossed Cook Strait, you see a panoramic sweep of mountains on both sides each telling a story about New Zealand’s unique geography.

Walking around the ferry.

It started to rain so we had to go inside the ferry.

The interior of the ferry is really big. 

We are approaching Picton.

The ferry glides through the calm, glassy waters of Queen Charlotte Sound, surrounded by steep, forested hills on both sides.

We are now entering Marlborough Sounds heading to Picton

Waitohi Wharf is the primary terminal for both Inter-island Ferry that cross Cook Strait from Wellington.

It is raining a lot as we are approaching Waitohi Wharf

Pick up our car and we are now driving off the ferry.

It was raining dogs and cats as we are leaving the ferry.

Once we got off the Picton Pier we had another 3 hours drive to Motueka (112 miles).  When I booked the ferry I did not realized that by the time we reached Picton it was getting dark and in less than an hour we drove in total darkness.  There is only on small road to Motueka and it was a narrow one lane and it was also very winding as you can see in the map.  It was supposed to be a very picturesque drive but we saw nothing as the road did not have any lights.  We were just glad when we made it to our Chalet in Motueka.

We began our North Island adventure in Auckland and made our way south to Wellington, discovering incredible sights along the way. Highlights included stepping into Middle-earth at Hobbiton, exploring the glowworm wonder of the Waitomo Caves, and experiencing the geothermal marvels of Orakei Korako near Rotorua. We stood in awe at the thundering Huka Falls, sailed on the vast waters of Lake Taupo, hiked the stunning Tongariro River Trail, and enjoyed world-class wine tasting in Martinboroughand ended in the vibrant Wellington. From here, we’ll take the f, ready to continue our journey through the South Island.

NEXT... Abel Tasman National Park