We are often asked about the best way to travel between the North Island and South Island of New Zealand.

The simple answer is ferry or flight, but the reality is that, for most people, the decision isn’t so straightforward.

If you’re planning to hire a car or campervan in New Zealand, your Cook Strait crossing options might be more limited than you realise.

But don’t worry, we’re here to help you figure out the best option for you, depending on your circumstances and budget.

How to cross Cook Strait

Your decision to book a ferry sailing or domestic flight will depend on your intended route, transport preference (both for Cook Strait crossing, and also your road transport), budget and more.

By plane

If flying the shortest distance over Cook Straight, you’ll do so with Air New Zealand or Sounds Air. Air New Zealand flies Wellington to Blenheim, and Sounds Air flies Wellington to Picton.

Blenheim and Picton are very close to each other; they’re only a 25 minute drive away.

Or, if flying to/from another part of the country, you might use Air New Zealand or Jetstar.

By ferry

Two ferry companies operate on Cook Strait – Bluebridge and Interislander.

Both transport vehicles (cars and campervans/motorhomes) and walk-on passengers.

Both offer a similar service, but we recommend Bluebridge. They have great food onboard and go above and beyond to look after our members.

Plus, we’re very lucky to have a member’s discount for you to help reduce the cost of your Bluebridge ferry crossing!

What to consider as you travel between the North and South Island of New Zealand

Considering your route

If you plan to follow a route around Auckland, the Coromandel and Rotorua, you may be better to fly south from up north, entirely saving the trip down to Wellington.

If you choose to do this, pick the location in the South Island that best suits your needs… this doesn’t have to be Picton or Blenheim. It could be Queenstown or Christchurch, for example.

Alternatively, if you’re planning a route from Auckland all the way down to Queenstown (perhaps down the West Coast and back up through Aoraki Mount Cook), you may be better off on the ferry.

The weather

Though both flights and ferries across Cook Strait are generally reliable, every now and then, things go wrong.

Flights are more affected by early-morning fog, whereas ferries will stop sailing in rough seas.

If a cyclone blows through, both are likely to be disrupted.

Anecdotally, flights are affected less frequently, but as we say, neither are cancelled often.

Transport considerations

Rental cars

Will your rental car be allowed on the ferry?

Not all companies allow their vehicles on the ferries due to insurance restrictions.

Be sure to check if your rental car is allowed onboard (snagging your NZTT discount for both a rental car and ferry in the process).

Rental cars allowed on the ferry

If it is allowed, you can use the same vehicle on both islands.

Simply keep your car loaded up, drive on, relax in the passenger lounges while on board, then drive off again on the other side.

This is particularly convenient for families and people travelling with a lot of gear.

Rental cars not allowed on the ferry

If your rental car of choice is not allowed on the ferry, check to see if they have offices in Wellington and Picton.

If they do, you can return your car, ride the ferry as a passenger, then collect a new rental on the other side of Cook Strait.

Pro tip: We think it’s more convenient to drive your car onboard, fully loaded, than to have to unpack/return/hire/repack when swapping cars.

Flight options for people with rental cars

Alternatively, drop your car off and then use a domestic flight to travel Cook Strait.

Depending on where you’re continuing your journey, this could be any number of places.

Wellington is the closest domestic airport in the North Island, while Picton and Blenheim are closest to the strait in the South Island.

However, if flying you’re no longer restricted to the nearest airport… you could look to fly to/from Rotorua or Taupō in the North Island, for example, or to/from Nelson, Christchurch or Queenstown in the South Island.

One way or return car hire?

it is generally cheaper to return your hire vehicle to the original location you picked it up. This is because if you don’t take it back, they have to.

So generally, you’ll be charged a one way surcharge to cover the vehicle’s return if you’re dropping it off in a different location.

Sometimes though, it’s actually cheaper to pay this than to pay for for your fuel, another ferry pass and to spend wasted time on a route you’re not excited about.

Campervans

Opportunities to pick up (and drop off) campervans in New Zealand are much more limited than rental cars.

Most campervan companies have bases in Auckland and Christchurch, with a few also having depots in Queenstown.

None of the main campervan companies have an office in Wellington or Picton.

This makes it almost impossible to collect a campervan in Auckland with the intention of handing it back in Wellington to catch a flight or passenger ferry.

You will need to plan to take your hired campervan on the ferry either dropping it off at one of the other locations (remembering, they’re few and far between) or returning it back to where you picked it up (in which case you’ll need a return ferry ticket).

Pro tip: If you make your ferry booking before you have your campervan confirmed, be sure to check (and if required, update your length measurement) well in advance of your sailing – particularly during our peak summer season. It is important that you don’t turn up with a camper that is bigger than the space allocated to you.

Your budget

People often ask about the most cost-effective way to make their car/Cook Strait crossing work, but unfortunately it is a matter of running the figures yourself to see.

Overall, is it cheaper to:

• book a one-way hire, crossing Cook Strait just once (but likely paying a one-way fee on your car)
• hire a rental car, returning it back to your collection point, taking it on the ferry both ways
• hire two or three separate rental cars, crossing Cook Straight only as passengers (by water or air)?

Also consider also how many travellers you have, how much gear you’ll be carrying, how much of an inconvenience it will be to change your cars, how long you have to spend in New Zealand and the places you want to see.

It’s worth doing a cost comparison to see which is the best for you.

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And there you have it – everything we would consider when deciding how to travel between the North Island and South Island of New Zealand.

Weigh everything up to see what’s best for you, and if you’d like some feedback on your plans, be sure to ask in our free Facebook Group!

Written in collaboration by Lucy and Sarah.

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