During our recent trip to Wellington, we decided we’d like to catch the Interislander ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton. We wanted to see a few of the sights instead of hanging around the city for the entire weekend. The weather wasn’t too good with lots of wind and rain, but after considering the weather forecast, and ringing my brother-in-law who is a weather guru, we decided to risk it and book the ferry plus a Marlborough wine tour.
The cancellation of the first ferry and the subsequent delay while they loaded extra cars and passengers on our ferry should have been a warning. But no. Mr. Munro and I happily boarded, found a good seat and settled in with a latte each. We were delayed about an hour before the ferry set off. The first part of the journey as we left the harbour was okay, but the moment we entered the open sea, it was all on.
Rock ‘n roll, baby.
The ferry went up, slammed down, tossed a little from side to side. The ferry was a big one, but the waves were crashing over the bow. And to think I’d wondered about all the white paper bags on each table in the cafe. Within minutes, passengers were grabbing bags and throwing up. I have to admit the crew were really good, whisking bags around, going around and offering aid and small chips of ice to passengers. At no time did the ferry smell like vomit, which was pretty amazing. Luckily, both Mr. Munro and I are good sailors with cast iron stomachs. We watched everyone else, and when the bars reopened when we re-entered calmer waters, we had another coffee and enjoyed the passing scenery as we entered the Marlborough Sounds.
Cook Strait separates the North and South Islands. It is about 22km wide and is known for its wild waters.
Are you a good traveller? Do you get seasick? Airsick? Other forms of motion sickness?
I have only been seasick once, and though I didn’t vomit I would have if I had thought it would make me feel better!
Otherwise, I’m a pretty good traveler :)
I’ve never been on a ferry or a large boat. I always get kind of queasy at the prospect. :grin:
Nope, I handle the water great. I can get queasy if I ride in the backseat and its warm in the car. Usually, snacking on something or rolling the window and feeling a breeze solves the problem.
Some of the video games my kids have will make me motion sick if I try and play them. That is weird…and causes the kids to laugh at me. lol
What a loaded question! It sounds like you had a grat time even with the rolling seas. I might have been seasick, but not usually. Maybe on that ferry, however!
LOL – Kaye. There are times when I feel a bit queasy, but I’ve never been sick. We went for a cruise quite a few years ago. The boat was rocking a bit, but it wasn’t too bad. We went to breakfast and couldn’t understand where everyone was. Later we passes the line waiting to see the ship’s doctor and it soon became obvious. Everyone was sea sick!
That water looks wicked. I have a fear of water so believe me, I wouldn’t be out on a ferry.