Interislander

Cruising into Wellington for WOW? 🛳️💃

Our friends at Wētā Workshop have an exclusive, behind-the-‘seams’ event with some of the film industry’s most experienced costumers. 🧙‍♂️ ✨

Join some of the film industry’s top costumers for an insider look at the craftsmanship behind your favourite on-screen characters. Whether you’re a costume enthusiast, design student, or movie buff—this is your chance for rare access!

🎟️ Spaces are limited—book now!

Behind the seams: The Art of Costuming for Movies Wētā Workshop is proud to partner with Wellington Heritage Week for a one-off, intimate evening, celebrating the creativity and history of our local community.

🌊 Did you know that Aotearoa New Zealand has one of the highest rates of whale and dolphin strandings in the world? The Project Jonah team, along with trained volunteers, work tirelessly to rescue these marine mammals and their efforts make a massive difference to survival rates. This year, Interislander proudly funded new rescue pontoons, helping return stranded whales safely back to sea. 🐋

Learn more about their incredible work here: www.projectjonah.org.nz

Kaitaki is now in dry-dock at the Sembawang Shipyard in Singapore where it will remain until 12 September. There it will undergo maintenance and some refurbishments before heading back to NZ to return to service in early October.

These dry-dock maintenance programmes in Singapore are a normal part of our asset management schedule. Work will include the standard compliance inspections and surveys by the Classification Society as well as installation of a starboard stabiliser. We’ll also be undertaking sections of steel renewals; working on the bow door, stern ramp, and internal ramps; refurbishing some customer areas; and painting the hull.

We're excited to partner with the Te Araroa Trail, providing walkers with a rest stop as they travel across the Strait to the next leg of their journey!

We're thrilled to announce our partnership with Interislander Ferries for the 2024/25 Season.

Enjoy 15% off all passenger fares when booking online before 31 December 2025 with the discount code: TAT241.

Registered walkers must show their Te Araroa Trail Digital Pass at check-in to get the deal. 📲

A huge thank you to Interislander for supporting our walker community and facilitating their journey between the North and South Islands.

🚚 Our Burger Caravan is a Hit! 🍔
We’re absolutely thrilled that you’re loving our Boaty Boatface burgers – so much so that we’ve even had requests for the secret sauce! 😋
A big congrats to the lucky folks who scored free tickets to Beervana with their burgers. 🎉🍻
Only one week left to enjoy before we wrap things up - find us at our usual spot in front of the railway station until next Friday!
As well as serving from 11am – 2pm, we're adding a bonus shift from 4pm to 6pm on Friday 23 August as this is our final day, so whether you’re heading to Beervana or just passing by, stop in and grab a burger.
Don’t miss out – see you there! 👋

The next big event in Wellington is WOW! If you are thinking of catching Interislander across the Strait to go to this mind-blowing show why not make it something extra special. Great Journeys New Zealand has a few tickets left for their Coastal Pacific WOW train departing Christchurch and Kaikoura 4 October. VIP welcome, WOW garment appearance, WOW goody bag and themed catering, and the Interislander Premium Lounge. 🚄 ⛴️ 🍾 🎉
https://www.greatjourneysnz.com/gifts-and-specials/world-of-wearableart-show-packages/

🌟 Ahoy there, Wellington foodies! 🌟
Set sail on a culinary adventure with our Interislander "Boaty Boatface" burger, launching today as part of the Visa Wellington on a Plate (WOAP) burger festival! 🍔🚢
Indulge in our mouthwatering slow-cooked beef brisket Boaty Boatface burger and fries, served in our iconic ship-shaped box. You can enjoy this delicious treat aboard our ships or at our pop-up burger caravan outside Wellington Railway Station.
🕛 Come and grab your burger from the caravan between 11am and 2pm on weekdays from August 5th to 25th.
Plus, get a chance to WIN one of 20 Beervana tickets! 🍺 Simply purchase a burger at our pop-up, and you'll be automatically entered into the draw.
Don't miss out on this fun and flavourful experience! 🎉

Kaitaki heading to dry dock in Singapore
Kaitaki will leave Wellington today for the warmer climes of Singapore, The journey will take 14 days with a stop in Gladstone on the Queensland Coast for refuelling.

At dry dock Kaitaki will be taken out of the water for repairs, maintenance and inspection. It is an important part of ensuring our ferries are kept up to standard.

Kaiarahi has moved onto Kaitaki’s usual timetable. Kaitaki will be back in service in October ready for the busy summer holiday period.

Ship spotters! You can track Kaitaki's voyage to Singapore on https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:189030/zoom:10

We’ve got something special sailing your way for Burger Wellington. Introducing Interislander's very own "Boaty Boatface" burger, making waves on our ships from 5 – 25 August.

Boaty Boatface: Beef brisket patty, with Pickle & Pie pickles, Pagro watercress, Kāpiti smoked cheddar, and jalapeño sauce in a Dough Bakery bun, with straight cut fries.

Don’t miss out on this culinary adventure! You can check out what else is on offer at Explore | Visa Wellington On a Plate (visawoap.com)

Celestial lights seen from Kaiarahi on Saturday evening. What an extraordinary spectacle!

Get onboard for WOW! Great Journeys still have tickets available from Christchurch on the Coastal Pacific, with an Interislander sailing, to get you and your friends to WOW in style.

Get in quick. Auckland tickets have already sold out.

Warm up your winter with our exciting new menu! 🍽️ This week we’ve unveiled "A Taste of Home" – featuring all your favourites and some mouthwatering new additions like lamb korma and hearty winter soup. Our passengers loved sampling these delights on Kaitaki and Kaiarahi last week, and their feedback helped us perfect them. Get ready to indulge in comfort food done right!

Such a pleasure sharing and supporting the great work the Marlborough Sounds Restoration Trust is doing in eradicating Wilding Pines throughout the Sounds. Next time you're on Kaitaki or Aratere, you'll be able to read more about their amazing mahi.

We love 🥰 the information board that was produced for us by Interislander and installed on the Kaitaki 🛳 and Aratere 🛳, and we are sure the passengers will enjoy reading the explanation for all the dead trees they see on their journey through the Sounds.
Our Chair, John Hellstrom (in the hat), and 3 of our trustees were thrilled to pop on to the Kaitaki to see the board last week - don't they look happy!
Thank you Interislander 🙏 🙌 for your ongoing support of our mahi.
If you're travelling on ones of these ships and see the board, let us know below.

Setting off on a campervan trip across New Zealand? Include a stop at a TOP 10 Holiday Park around the country and take advantage of their 4 Day Flash Sale on now! Explore our recommendations on where to stay and things to consider when planning your adventure.

T&Cs apply, booking period 29 April – 2 May 2024.

https://tinyurl.com/bdhs2mwd

What a great time was had by all at the Life Flight Open Day on Sunday. Once again this year, we're proud to be a part of this outstanding fundraiser. Thank you to everyone who came down on a beautiful Wellington day.
www.facebook.com/LifeFlightTrust

Last week we had 27 students from Colyton School returning from a school camp at stunning Mistletoe Bay. They wanted a class photo and we found them the perfect location. Aratere is the only ferry sailing Cook Strait with access to the bow and uninterrupted views of the crossing. The kids were pretty happy with the result.

We are partnering with our friends at the Havelock Mussel & Seafood Festival (Saturday 16 March) to offer an amazing VIP package to enjoy the best that Marlborough can offer and celebrate the 20th year of the Festival. Entries close on Sunday.

Havelock Mussel & Seafood Festival

Win a romantic autumn getaway for two to the Nelson-Tasman region! Enjoy local flavours, outdoor adventures, culture, scenic trails, and artisanal delights, courtesy of Nelson Tasman, Interislander, and more. Visit nelsontasman.nz/win for details and T&Cs.

Interislander is proud to sponsor the Life Flight Open Day. This is our 10th year of supporting this popular, very family friendly event supporting the great mahi that Life Flight does for our communities. Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 10th, and join us from 10:00am to 2:30pm at the Life Flight Airbase in Rongotai, Wellington.
https://www.lifeflight.org.nz/open-day/

Over the weekend, Picton's picturesque shores played host to 140 sailors from all over New Zealand for the 14th Interislander Optimist Challenge and Port Marlborough Starling Champs. This event provided a platform for our junior and youth sailors to come together, fostering camaraderie and showcasing their competitive spirit.

A round of applause to the North Island for clinching the prestigious "Island of Origin" Challenger Trophy in the Optimist Class.

A special shoutout to Captain Matt and our Second Mates Josh and Derek, who graciously hosted some of these talented sailors aboard the Kaiarahi Bridge during their journey back to Wellington after the event.

We were thrilled to host King Kapisi on Kaitaki today as part of Bands on Board. Passengers were delighted - there was even dancing! If you are travelling on the 8:45am sailing from Wellington or the 2:15pm from Picton check out Island Bar & Cafe to see who might be playing! 🎼 🎻 🎤
https://www.interislander.co.nz/experience/bands-on-board

To all the young sailors heading for the Interislander Optimist Regatta in Picton hosted by the Queen Charlotte Yacht Club - we wish you smooth sailing! Budding Kiwi sailors will showcase their skills and passion on the water, this Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th February.

Proud to be able to support the great work of HUHANZ.

It was great to be part of such an epic event!

How many of New Zealand’s national parks have you explored? For those in the Lower North Island, Abel Tasman, Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes might not be as far away as you think with the help of Interislander Cook Strait Ferry!
http://tinyurl.com/394h6bpz

Woohoo! 🎉 Big shout out to our winners, snagging the awesome $10,000 prize in the Frucor "Scratch and Win" promo during December and January! 🥳🎁 Congratulations!

Go in the draw to win a flight on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Interislander is the proud to support the Life Flight Open Day on 10 March and we hope to see you there!

Visit the Life Flight Open Day - Sunday, March 10th! Visit the Life Flight Open Day on Sunday, March 10th!

Congratulations to Campbell Gray who successfully completed the incredibly challenging Coast to Coast in 11 hours, 44 minutes and 17 seconds. We followed Campbell's training through to the 2024 event. He overcame some significant challenges, including a serious injury, to get to the start line. Well done to Campbell and all the other competitors who lined up over the weekend.

Feeling those post-holiday blues already?
We totally get it! But guess what? Easter is approaching! Why not start planning your next getaway with Interislander? 🛥️ 🌊

If you are planning a trip along Queen Charlotte Drive to or from your Interislander ferry please be aware that there are road works near Cullen Point between 9:00AM and 3:00PM daily from 7 - 21 February. The road will only open on the hour, every hour, to allow traffic to pass. Check the NZTA Waka Kotahi journey planner for more information.

https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner