Thread: Cook Strait Ferry

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.

At least once per year, sometimes two or three.

Traveling to shooting competitions with a lot of gear precludes flying.
Have been known to cross with 3 or more rifles, 1200-1500 loaded rounds, as well as spotting scopes, other shooting gear.

Sometimes I return with stuff for other people as well, guns, powder, projectiles, primers - all the good stuff.

I've got a crossing booked for next Tuesday, shit I hope it's running.... I do feel for the Truckies as well , this is a vital part of roading system, it's a complete joke, talk about head in the sand stuff.

Originally Posted by Lucky

I've got a crossing booked for next Tuesday, shit I hope it's running.... I do feel for the Truckies as well , this is a vital part of roading system, it's a complete joke, talk about head in the sand stuff.

LOL the new stuff wasn't supposed to be here until 2026, and even then there have been doubts the terminals or ships would be ready. So nothing is really changing.

You have to wonder how much of the products we use have been across Cook Strait on the ferry ?

They certainly are a very vital link for most businesses
I think they effect all of us even though it is not obvious

Three or more trips a year, with a ute and trailer which would never fit in carry on let alone checked baggage on a plane, any how air NZ isn't that much more reliable.
Checked the ferry for unintentional holes, good to go last month. Seemed all the rest of the cargo was campervans

If the nimbys in Queen Charlotte Sound weren't so precious about speed limits on the water (and noone cared about erosion) Bluebridge could fill the gap with more ships. The real issue is the speed limits limit the number of sailings a day that can go through the Sounds. That's partly why Kiwirail ordered such big ships (The other part is so they could get more rail business to prop up the rest of their business) - so they could move more people within the limits of their low number of sailings per day.

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

To fly Tga to CHCH return for the family of four (two big two small tickets) it's almost $2000 - but total time five hours. Need to sort transport when we get there too, didn't get any further on that cost. Driving down return circa $12-1300 depending on the actual amount of driving we do. Takes about 16 hours to get down to CHCH though, broken up with a night in Wellington somewhere (usually a friend's place).

The ferry is a better option for the kids, flying is a pain in the arse.

given the exorbitant fees they charged and the bad maintenance of the ships where did all the money go for buying replacements?

Originally Posted by gonetropo

given the exorbitant fees they charged and the bad maintenance of the ships where did all the money go for buying replacements?

I think they call that running costs.....

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Pity they gave up on the Clifford Bay terminal.
Shorter trip, any size ship, no sounds speed limit and an hours less driving to Chritschurch.

Originally Posted by Brian

Pity they gave up on the Clifford Bay terminal.
Shorter trip, any size ship, no sounds speed limit and an hours less driving to Chritschurch.

One big sticking point with that in almost all of NZ salt supply comes from there...putting a port at the entrance would potentially contaminate that water supply and there is nowhere as well suited for salt production...though I guess we could buy it from a salt mining country....

once upon a time the ferry didnt stop in picton...it went right down to littleton,or so Im told...bit before my time.... so there is options to bypass picton....sure its further and will cost more...but its an option....even Grant R said on the "idiot lantern" last night..he had given kiwi rail the word and suggested a cheaper option..so it was time bomb waiting to explode and the previous lot knew about it...
the amount of freight that crosses every day is huge....think 15-20 truck n trailer units

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

once upon a time the ferry didnt stop in picton...it went right down to littleton,or so Im told...bit before my time.... so there is options to bypass picton....sure its further and will cost more...but its an option....even Grant R said on the "idiot lantern" last night..he had given kiwi rail the word and suggested a cheaper option..so it was time bomb waiting to explode and the previous lot knew about it...
the amount of freight that crosses every day is huge....think 15-20 truck n trailer units

My first ferry trip was on the maiden voyage of the Rangatira (might not be spelt right) to Lyttleton. A civilised way to travel. Woke up in the morning to a cup of tea and a biscuit and on the dock bright and early for my drive down to Dunedin.
GPM.

As a country we are broke, way, way more broke than we were, the previous people in charge of the place did an appalling job economically running this place

This is one of many things we just can't afford, they were spending money we just didn't have, had no sensible way of acquiring & appeared to think it was perfectly ok

The chickens are coming home to roost & we just can't keep doing what we have been, the lack of fiscal responsibility is ridiculous , unfortunately there will be a fair bit of pain trying to get things back on track

I did the trip to Lyttleton on my first SI hunt to the Havelock. I was in my teens.
I always get sea sick and once we headed away from the Welle wharf I thought, nah, this is a piece of wee wee, big ship etc etc. Then we hit the heads and I had to immediately retire to my bunk straight away. It was an overnight voyage. My mates came to bed late after pissing up and tried to rark me up. Bastards, no sympathy from them.
They said it was the roughest crossing since the Wahine went down.

On the trip back it was exactly 1 year since the Wahine disaster. The harbour was very calm as we sailed past her. Everyone lined the handrails on the port side. There was not much conversation.
The ship (cannot remember her name, woops pronoun) sounded the ship's horn. Poignant moment in my life.

I think the ferry was the Maori.