Thread: Cook Strait Ferry

Greetings all,
Just watching the articles about the funding of the Cook Strait Ferry replacement on the Idiot Lantern. It struck me that perhaps the days of taking your vehicle over the Strait to the South Island and vice versa is coming to an end. So the question is:
How many of us take the ferry these days rather than flying to our destination and hiring a vehicle there if needed?
Regards Grandpamac.

More to the point why would you want to go to the North Island?

There’s another island?

Well I'm taking my vehicle down south this Xmas and went in 1 of 2 cars in March to Bluff for a Stewart Island trip.....so yeah....

it's seems cheaper than renting a car once there.....after either a ferry ride or flight....plus you can take more gear....

There will always be a need, but maybe the need is to get your budget right and report the cost correctly.....like a lot of govt funded projects they all blow out and all get bailed out......I like that they have said no...needs to happen more

Hamish

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Several times a year. Ute on ferry and drive to Tekapo. Love it.
Im confident it will be resolved. It's a vital bit of infrastructure for the economy.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings all,
Just watching the articles about the funding of the Cook Strait Ferry replacement on the Idiot Lantern. It struck me that perhaps the days of taking your vehicle over the Strait to the South Island and vice versa is coming to an end. So the question is:
How many of us take the ferry these days rather than flying to our destination and hiring a vehicle there if needed?
Regards Grandpamac.

Idiot lantern. That's the best description of tv I have heard on ages. You win the internet today.

The ferry network should be declared part of the national highway system and using them should be much cheaper than currently

Last time I booked to go on ferry was just before they crashed the last one into the wharf. I was going Friday to Wednesday. They re-booked my Friday sailing to Tuesday. So I cancelled and flew instead. I wouldn’t trust a ferry sailing to actually go at the moment.

Get the Japanese to build us a tunnel (that doesn't run along the fault line) and be done with it.

Identify your target beyond all doubt because you never miss (right?) and I'll be missed.

I live on the main land,no need to go to the other country up north.

The last 3 trips were to a starting point of Invercargill so driving 3/4 the length of the NI and the full length of the SI in my own vehicle would have been crazy - time lost driving, fuel cost, ferry rape.. Rental car at Invercargill and away. 1st trip left Auckland am and by 2 o'clock in the arvo was sitting on the beach at Te Anau listening to the gentle lap of the waves. Wonderful.

The previous day I had come out of a very stressful 2 week shutdown at work. The transition between the 2 places was incredible.

Use at least once a year may have to use Bluebridge use either depending on departure times as early start to get Wellington ones sometimes

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Kiwirail's replacement ships were a gold plated solution.

The world is awash with underutilised ships and RORO's.

They will just have to work within a tighter fiscal envelope, and go and lease.

Money no longer grows on trees. These CEO's on mega salaries should already know that.

I head to the South Island to hunt about 6 - 8 times a year and take the ute on the ferry for most of those trips. Always enjoy the ferry journey and its great to have all my gear with me in the ute, especially for tahr hunting. When I fly its usually to Queenstown to avoid the long drive.

Use Bluebridge, great service, no fuss and dog friendly. Like Air NZ why should the long suffering taxpayer be held to ransom for $$$Billion dollar boondoogles and nice to haves. For under $1 Billion we could have 3 modern ferries capable of using existing infrastructure. Methinks Kiwi-Rail bosses recognised we had an economically illiterate Govt, went for the doctor and have now been told to pull their heads in and play in the real world. Make no mistake NZ is in an appalling state economically and it is because of this sort of behaviour with our taxes and believe me, this is only one of many. The adults are back running things thank God but it is going to be painful, very very painful to rejoin the 1st world.