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interislander ferry

- ships and facilities

Interislander operates a fleet of three ferries. The Auahura, Kaitaki and Aratere make up the ship fleet which offer return Wellington to Picton ferry rides as well as Picton to Wellington ferry shipping services.

arahura

The Interislander Ferry - Arahura was built in Denmark in 1982 and introduced into the interislander fleet in 1983. It has capacity to carry 977 passengers, 232 vehicles, and 60 railway wagons. Arahura is Maori for "Pathway to Dawn". (The Arahura River on the South Island's West Coast is the country's main source of New Zealand jade/greenstone). Arahura facilities include:

Two sizeable passenger lounges - both offering comfort and panoramic scenery.
A food court, bar and coffee counter
A children's play area and nursery
Outdoor observation decks
A designated smoking area and viewing deck at the stern of the vessel
Workstations for quiet reading and writing
A movie theatre
An information centre and souvenir shop

Please click here to view the ship's layout

kaitaki

The Interislander Ferry - Kaitaki was built in The Netherlands in 1995 and introduced into the interislander fleet in 2005. It has capacity to carry 1,600 passengers and 600 vehicles. Kaitaki means challenger in Maori and its facilities include:

An information centre, reception and souvenir shop
A food court, Cafe and Bar
A children's play area and nursery
A movie theatre
TV Lounges - recliner lounges
Family Lounge
A designated smoking area
Outdoor observation decks

Please click here to view the ship's layout

aratere

The Interislander Ferry - Aratere was built in Spain in 1998 and introduced into the interislander fleet in 1999. It has capacity for 369 passengers, 230 vehicles and 60 railway wagons. Aratere is Maori for quick path and its facilities include:

Lounge Bar and Cafe
A Children's Playroom
An Information Centre and shop
Outdoor observation decks
A nursery
Workstations for quiet reading and writing
A movie theatre

Please click here to view the ship's layout

did you know?

Each year 96,578 pies and 63,210 litres of beer are consumed on board the Kaitaki
Aratere docks using a system called the iron sailor basically four vacuum pads that suck the ship onto the wharf.
Arahura was built with the capability to provide power ashore for civil defence or similar emergencies. Arahura is a diesel electric ship and can supply 14 MW of power
that's enough power to light all the houses in Wellington!