Interislander

Interislander is a road and rail ferry service across New Zealand's Cook Strait, between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island. It is owned and operated by state-owned rail operator KiwiRail. Three roll-on roll-off (RORO) vessels operate the route, taking about three hours to complete the crossing.

The inter-island rail ferry service began in August 1962, operated by the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR). The service primarily provided a RORO rail link between its North and South Island networks, allowing NZR to compete directly with coastal shipping companies for inter-island freight. It also provided the first RORO road link between the two islands, which saw the Wellington to Picton ferries compete with, and then completely replace, the Union Company's Wellington– Lyttelton ferry service. Today, the Interislander service is still well patronised despite competition on the Wellington–Picton sea route with Bluebridge and from airlines, carrying around one million passengers and 230,000 vehicles per year on 5,500 sailings.

In 2017, Interislander became part of The Great Journeys of New Zealand, a new tourism brand created by KiwiRail to unite its four scenic passenger services: Interislander, Northern Explorer, Coastal Pacific and the TranzAlpine.

History

Introduction

Before 1962, the North Island and South Island rail networks were not connected, and the New Zealand Railways Department (NZR) struggled to compete with ships for inter-island transport. In the days before containerisation, rail freight between the islands had to be railed in a wagon to Wellington, unloaded and transferred onto a ship to Picton or Lyttelton, then loaded into another wagon before being railed the rest of the way. The Union Steam Ship Company (USSC) ran an overnight ferry between Lyttelton and Wellington using steamers. NZR also contracted SAFE Air to run its Rail Air airfreight service for freight between the islands, from Paraparaumu to Blenheim, but this was limited to aircraft payloads.

The decision to start a rail ferry was made in 1958 by the Cook Strait Transport Enquiry Committee. The enquiry was set up following Union Steam Ship's decision to withdraw the unprofitable Tamahine, built in 1925. NZR was officially reluctant to compete with USSC for inter-island traffic, but supplied the New Zealand Railway Officers' Institute with information to put to the enquiry.

The Cook Strait Inter-Island Rail and Road Service (as it was known) started on 11 August 1962 with the roll-on roll-off ferry .Crossing the Cook Strait ''Ships Monthly'' July 2022 pages 62-66 The service dramatically increased efficiency, since freight could stay in the same wagon the whole journey, reducing time and money. ''Aramoana'' took just 3 hours 20 minutes to cross Cook Strait, dramatically decreasing the time between the two islands for cars and passengers - Wellington to Christchurch travel time was reduced from 11 hours on the USSC ferry to nine hours by NZR ferry and road. The initial service was one sailing each way per day, Wellington to Picton in the morning and Picton to Wellington in the afternoon. The new service led to the decline of NZR's Rail Air service, which saw a dramatic drop in airfreight.

The service was an immediate success, although it was criticised for high prices. At NZ£ 9 10 s one way for a family of four and a car up to 4.04 m (equal to NZ$395 in 2016 dollars,) many people thought the service was overpriced for a state-operated service. Nevertheless, it was a cash cow for NZR - in the 1963-64 financial year, it contributed £535,000 of the NZR's £538,500 working profit.

The service expanded with the addition of in 1966, in 1972 and in 1974. The Union Company responded to the competition by converting to take roll-on roll-off (RORO) road traffic and ordering a new RORO ship, . However, the resurgence was short-lived: on 10 April 1968, ''Wahine'' foundered at the entrance to Wellington Harbour during a storm, resulting in 53 deaths. By the time replacement ship entered service in 1972, competition from the Cook Strait ferries and increased competition from air travel, especially following the National Airways Corporation's introduction of the Boeing 737 in 1968, saw the Wellington-Lyttelton service become uneconomic. The Union Company withdrew in 1974, and after two years under the Ministry of Transport, the service was cancelled in September 1976. In 1983, ''Arahura'' joined the fleet to replace the ageing ''Aramoana'' and ''Aranui''. The faster ''Arahura'' reduced the time across Cook Strait by 20 minutes to three hours.

Initially, USSC operated the ferries on NZR's behalf. This changed in 1970 when the Minister of Railways, Peter Gordon, announced that NZR would be forming its own maritime service to operate the inter-island ferries.

SeaRail and The Interislander

When the New Zealand Railways Corporation (the successor to the Railways Department) was restructured in 1982, the service was renamed "SeaRail". In 1989, it was renamed the Interisland Line, and the service became known as The Interislander. The fleet was upgraded with improved facilities and an updated livery whose logo incorporated Pelorus Jack. In 1991, New Zealand Rail Ltd, including the Interisland Line, was spun off from the Railways Corporation. In 1993, New Zealand Rail Ltd was privatised and became Tranz Rail in 1995. In 1999, Tranz Rail leased , and between 1999 and 2001, disposed of ''Arahanga'' and the ''Aratika''.

In 1990, the Interislander launched an advertising campaign with the jingle "Cruisin' on the Interislander (Sailing to the Other Side)" written and performed by Wellington band The Waratahs. The jingle became iconic, with a second jingle "Easy Come, Easy Go (Cruisin' on the Interislander)" by the Waratahs released in 1998.

In 2004, Toll NZ bought out Tranz Rail, and the Interisland Line was renamed the Interislander. Both ships were repainted in a new livery, with a fern replacing Pelorus Jack on the funnel - he moved to the hull with the logo. In 2005, Toll leased ''Challenger'', which in 2007 was renamed . ''Kaitaki'' was the first Interislander ferry without a rail deck, and the first with a bow door (all the other ferries were stern boarding).

KiwiRail

On 1 July 2008, the New Zealand Government purchased Toll NZ, including Interislander, becoming part of KiwiRail.

In 2011, ''Aratere'' was lengthened by adding a 30-metre midsection to increase its capacity.

In November 2012, Interislander staff threatened strike action over the upcoming Christmas period, demanding better wages. Owner KiwiRail responded with a lock-out notice. Freight company Mainfreight slammed the union's actions as "bloody disruptive".

In November 2013, ''Aratere'' snapped a drive shaft and lost a propeller in the Cook Strait. Interislander chartered to help with the peak summer period while ''Aratere'' was under repair. In December 2014, it was announced ''Stena Alegra'' would be chartered long-term to replace the ageing ''Arahura''. ''Arahura'' last sailed on 29 July 2015, and the ''Stena Alegra'', refurbished and renamed '' Kaiarahi'', entered service in September 2015.

Fast ferry services

The Lynx was the Interislander's fast ferry service across Cook Strait. Pressured by Christchurch businessman Brooke McKenzie and his ill-fated Sea Shuttles NZ fast ferry service, the Interisland Line chartered the to operate a fast service across the strait for the 1994/95 summer. The "Vomit Comet", as it was sometimes dubbed, was an initial success, taking half the time of the regular Interislander ferries. ''Condor 10'' returned to serve as ''The Lynx'' every summer until 1999, when it was replaced by the for the 1999/2000 summer. A year-round service was started in 2000 with , which was replaced in 2003 by .

In 1994, speed restrictions were imposed in Wellington Harbour to reduce wash and protect ships berthed at Aotea Quay, and in May 2000 an speed limit was imposed on all ships in the Marlborough Sounds after residents complained of shoreline damage caused by the ferries. By 2002, The Lynx took 2 hours, 15 minutes to complete its journey. This was only a 45-minute advantage over the ''Arahura'' and ''Aratere'', which had the advantage of being able to operate in swells above The Lynx's limit of , which were common in Cook Strait and frequently caused cancellations. The Lynx ceased operation in 2003.

Proposed ferry terminal redevelopment

Interislander planned to introduce new hybrid electric ferries that were longer than those currently in operation. In 2020, following two years of discussion with stakeholders, Greater Wellington Regional Council announced that it had chosen Kaiwharawhara as its preferred site for a new ferry terminal. The terminal was to be built on land owned by KiwiRail, CentrePort and the NZ Transport Agency. The new terminal was to accommodate the larger ferries and replace the two separate terminals currently used by StraitNZ and the Interislander. In addition, CentrePort would be able to make changes to the layout of its other port operations. The plan included a wharf about long, a ferry terminal building, changes to road, rail and pedestrian access, and marshalling and loading areas. The panel that approved the project called it the biggest rail capital project since World War II.

In 2020, KiwiRail proposed to build a KiwiRail-only central city terminal near King's Wharf to replace the combined Kaiwharawhara ferry terminal plan. This KiwiRail-only terminal might later be expanded to include other users like StraitNZ, but this plan was abandoned, as it was opposed by almost every other harbour user and the city and regional councils. KiwiRail claimed that the Kaiwharawhara site was an earthquake risk because of the Wellington Fault Line. Initial cost estimates in 2019 were $390 million to $730 million, and it could be built by the "mid-2020s" for the new ferries.

Proposed ferry replacements 2019-present

As of 2024, all Interislander vessels were built in the 1990s (1995 or 1998). All vessels were scheduled to be replaced by two identical rail capable vessels by 2024.

A revised plan was that much larger rail–equipped ferries, designed by a leading ship's architect, would be introduced in 2024 and 2025. A NZ$551m contract for the ferries was awarded to HD Hyundai Mipo in 2021, with deliveries in 2025 and 2026. The new ferries were to carry twice as many passengers and nearly double the number of trucks and other vehicles with triple rail capacity - 40 wagons on each ship.

Cancellation of ferry replacements

Following the 2023 New Zealand general election, the Minister of Finance Nicola Willis declined KiwiRail's request for an additional NZ$1.47 billion to replace its ageing Interislander ferry fleet. While the outgoing Labour Government had approved plans to buy two new (and larger) ferries (but in February 2023 had refused a request for $2.6 billion of extra funding), the incoming National-led coalition government regarded the project as too costly; with Willis likening the proposed ferries to Ferraris, and stating that the Government would be looking for cheaper alternative ferries. Willis said that only 21% of the total cost was for the ferries, with most for port redevelopment. Initially two texts were sent to South Korea before the pending announcement. The chairman of the Greater Wellington Regional Council, Daran Ponter, was aware of the extent of the port redevelopment proposed (as was his Picton counterpart), and had expressed concern as the port companies would be expected to finance part of the work.

The Government's decision to scrap the ferry replacement project was criticised by Labour's finance spokesperson, Grant Robertson, and several unions including the Maritime Union of New Zealand, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, the New Zealand Merchant Service Guild and the Aviation and Marine Engineers Association.

In early March 2025, Radio New Zealand reported that the National-led coalition government had allocated NZ$300 million to cover the cancellation of the iRex ferry project including cancelled infrastructure contracts and a break-fee with Hyundai.

Sixth National Government ferry replacements, 2025–present

In early March 2025, Minister for Rail Winston Peters embarked on an international tender to find a builder to build two cheaper and smaller rail-enabled ferries to replace the current Interislander vessels. The Government's goal is to have the replacement ferries operational by 2029. On 1 March, Peters visited Hyundai's headquarters in Seoul to discuss the tender proposal. Peters told Radio New Zealand that Hyundai was open to considering bidding to build the two replacement ferries based on the new size specifications.

On 31 March 2025, Peters released details of the two new Interislander replacement ferries, which will be 200m long, 28m wide and have rail decks. The ferries are expected to be completed by Christmas 2029. The port infrastructure at Picton is expected to be replaced while the Wellington infrastructure will be upgraded. Peters confirmed that the government was searching for a shipyard to build the ferries and is expected to sign a contract in late 2025. The Government has also established a company called Ferry Holdings to build the necessary supporting infrastructure. KiwiRail Chief Executive Peter Reidy welcomed news that the two replacement ferries would be rail enabled while Mayor of Marlborough Nadine Taylor said the announcement would give certainty to plan the new port infrastructure at Picton. By contrast, the Labour Party's transport spokesperson Tangi Utikere criticised the cancellation of the previous government's iRex project and questioned the lack of detail in the government's ferry procurement plan.

Fleet

Current fleet

Historic fleet

References

Bibliography

*
*

External links

*

Cook Strait rail ferries
– New Zealand History, by Ministry for Culture and Heritage

{{authority control

1962 establishments in New Zealand
Companies based in Wellington
Cook Strait Ferry
Picton, New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand