December 21

Wellington to Picton

Riding the ferry is less like traveling on an airplane than traveling in a moving airport.
The Interislander ferries, the boats of the largest company transporting people and their cars between New Zealand's North and South Island, offer a number of in-route entertainment. There's a bar, a restaurant, food court, kids' play area, cinema (although our boat, being new, did not yet have an operable cinema) and several different seating areas, with or without TVs or a view. Also an outside walkway on the boats' seventh story, to experience the weather, see the water, see the land slide by as the boat navigates the channel near Wellington or Picton.
The sun set as we pulled out of Wellington, so there wasn't much of a view for most of the trip. Also not much to do, once you've walked around the various compartments on the boat. So, like an airport, settle in with the newspaper and any other reading material you've remembered to bring.
The boat wasn't particularly full, not like it would be on our return trip, but the beginning of the holiday crush did lead to delays. Our departure was slightly late, but on arrival we were put in the marine equivalent of a holding pattern, waiting for the even later night boat going South to North to depart the berth our South-bound boat needed. An hour later, well after midnight, we set foot (actually, rubber - we were in a borrowed car for the trip) on the South Island for the first time.