Ferries from Wellington: Cook Strait to Picton, and the harbour ferry to Days Bay

Wellington Harbour and its green hills seen from the deck of an Interislander ferry heading for Picton — Photo: AnnWoolliams, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped (Wikimedia Commons)

Wellington is where New Zealand's North Island ferries leave for the South Island. Two companies cross Cook Strait to Picton, and a smaller harbour ferry runs from the city waterfront to Days Bay. Each card gives the figures as the operator states them and says when we last checked.

How it works

Interislander and Bluebridge use different terminals in Wellington; Interislander says its Kaiwharawhara terminal is five minutes from the city centre. Check which terminal your ticket names.
Both Cook Strait operators give a sailing time of about three and a half hours and warn that weather can slow or cancel sailings; Cook Strait is open water.
The harbour ferry leaves from Queens Wharf in the city centre and calls at Mātiu/Somes Island on some sailings.
Timetables are seasonal: the Bluebridge winter timetable we read ends on 31 October 2026, and the harbour ferry timetable runs to 31 December 2026.

Ferries

Wellington (Kaiwharawhara) Picton

Operators: Interislander

Journey time: Interislander states a sailing time of 3.5 hours.

When it runs: Interislander says it sails every day and has eight sailings a day, and that daytime sailings fill up quickly at peak times.

Schedule checked 25 October 2026. Sources: Interislander

See the operator page

Wellington Picton

Operators: Bluebridge (StraitNZ)

Journey time: Bluebridge says the journey takes approximately 3.5 hours and that weather can occasionally slow the ships.

When it runs: The winter timetable valid 1 May to 31 October 2026 lists four Wellington departures (2:00am, 8:15am, 1:30pm and 8:30pm), two of them not on some weekend days; a summer timetable follows.

Schedule checked 25 October 2026. Sources: Bluebridge: timetable

See the operator timetable

Queens Wharf (Wellington city) Days Bay, with some sailings via Mātiu/Somes Island

Operators: East by West Ferries

Journey time: The timetable shows, for example, the 6:10 AM Queens Wharf departure arriving at Days Bay at 6:35 AM; the page does not state a single crossing time.

When it runs: The timetables are valid from 11 October to 31 December 2026, with separate weekday and weekend/public holiday schedules.

Schedule checked 25 October 2026. Sources: East by West Ferries: Queens Wharf - Days Bay

See the timetable

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Timetables and journey times change by season and operator, and a ticket is not a guaranteed seat. Every card says when we last checked and links the page we read; confirm on the operator's own page before you plan around a departure. We list operators' own pages and do not earn commission on these links.

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