Bluebridge Ferry Wellington to Picton – what it’s like

Bluebridge ferry Wellington – Picton

Travelling with children always causes a little anxiety, whatever the mode of transport but on a recent trip sail on a Bluebridge ferry Wellington to Picton across the Cook Strait, we weren’t sure how it would go at all!

The day of our ferry trip arrived and I had thoroughly prepared myself for the possibilities that lay ahead. As we pulled into the Bluebridge ferry terminal, my son’s excitement at the trip was immense. We showed our pre-booked tickets and got given what can only be described as a large plastic boarding card and directed into a line of other cars, waiting to board the ferry. Within minutes my son was bored of waiting for the ferry so I took him into the terminal building as a distraction. To be honest, a coffee kiosk and a magazine shop weren’t exactly going to keep him occupied for the 20 minute wait so I walked him outside where we were met with the sight of the ferry from Picton coming into dock. This turned out to be a great way to keep my son occupied for a few minutes whilst my brain was working hard to find answers to all his questions.

Once the ferry had docked and we had watched all the cars disembark we returned to the car and were signaled to embark ourselves. Minutes later we were out of the car and stood on deck, frantically waving to strangers as Leo did in the film Titanic. Once safely out of the harbour and having pointed out the seal colony at Red Rocks in Wellington to our son, we went in search of food. It was swiftly found in the cafe where we ordered the daily special, fish and chips. A member of staff bought over a colouring page and some crayons to keep our son entertained until our food arrived and I must say that it was delicious.

After eating, we found some seats in the lounge area and sat ourselves down in front of whatever movie was coming on. It turned out to be Mr Bean which was ideal. It not only appealed to our son who found the silly bits hilarious but even gave us a chuckle too. Our son sat quietly for about 45 minutes before starting to fidget so it was time to go back on deck. After several laps running round and never seeing any dolphins, our son was pretty tired so we returned to the lounge just as Shrek was coming on. Our son was delighted and thankfully tired so he remained fixated on the film for the rest of the journey whilst us parents amused ourselves with hot chocolates and a selection of snacks.

Disembarkation time came round just at the right time and it was back to the car, ready for our drive onward to Nelson. Overall I was impressed with Bluebridge’s service – on time, good food and some well picked films made it enjoyable for all of us.

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