Interislander Picton — Local services in South Island

I generally travel Bluebridge ⛴️ & have done so since it first began. I was booked in on the 1pm sailing which unfortunately was canceled but I was able to get on the 8am sailing instead. Now I suffer from arthritis which makes it difficult to climb stairs & I was on the ferry without a lift. The staff member who assisted me was brilliant as indeed were all the crew I came into contact with. I intend letting the company know about this bloke so that he gets a good pat on the back. Apart from all that the ditch was like a millpond & seemed to be very quick. I had breakfast which filled me up for the day ahead & enjoyed a good book. I had to laugh, there was a young toddler maybe 3 who led his mother round & round the deck in the enclosed areas. He would turn up every 15 mins or so checking out all he could. I guess that both mum & son got a really good workout - so much more exciting than going to the gym. Well that's it for today, I'm booked to return on Nov 30 but I think I'll extend it out a bit more & get on board the ship with a lift going back. Overall I enjoy the Bluebridge experience & always look forward to my next...

My interactions with the Interislander staff and crew have always been very pleasant. They are extremely friendly, professional, and a joy to chat with. However, I am disappointed that the New Zealand government has denied KiwiRail's request for an additional $1.47 billion to cover cost escalations for the iReX project, which has now reached approximately $3 billion since 2018.

Regardless of whether the cost is $3 billion or $6 billion, upgrading the aging Interislander ferry fleet and terminal infrastructure should be a top priority. The operations of Interislander and KiwiRail are crucial for connecting the two islands and facilitating the import and export of goods for businesses like Coca-Cola. While Bluebridge and dedicated shipment planes exist, the current Interislander fleet and infrastructure are unfortunately outdated. It would be unfortunate if KiwiRail cannot secure the necessary funds. New Zealand...

The ferry itself is almost always fantastic on board. However they are constantly plagued by poor scheduling, hopelessly late almost every sailing with horrific delays. On the way over our sailing was supposed to leave at 12:15pm but left the dock at 4pm. On the way back we were supposed to leave at 10:45am, but I am told the boat might arrive at 11am (they then have to offload, clean and reload, so I suspect it will be 12pm before we'll leave).

If you have plans at either end (which everyone does), don't expect to keep them as any morning journey is likely to be a day of tortuous all day journey of hastily having to rebook accommodation and activities.

I really don't see the point of a "service" that is consistently delayed by hours. Nor of actually having a schedule listed on your website. Instead of having departure times so specific as "10:45am",maybe just say "sometime between...