more people have watched this video than the population of NZ

It's not just a ferry crossing, it's an Adventure!!!

Made that crossing 7 times and it’s always interesting. Thankfully never have experienced water that rough while on a ship. Living in Island Bay watching the ferry struggle through huge waves is mesmerizing.

That stretch of water is some of the wildest in the world....my wifes Grandfather used to work for the Union Steam ship company and had a picture on his wall of a ferry with the bow completely buried in a wave with the screws sticking out of the water at the stern. Modern sensibilities and passenger experience dictates these days that it is better to cancel the sailing than destroy everyones stuff and give passengers a bad experience. Like the air turbulence analogy when you fly, it is now easier to avoid turbulence with advanced technology, same with ferry crossings in NZ. People don't want to be chucked around like rag dolls...back then there was no choice...now there is. Thanks for the video.

When we first visited NZ in 1996 our ferry crossing took place under blue sky and a totally flat Cook Strait. Now we understand when Kiwis told us that we were absolutely lucky!

Never crossed the straights in weather like that, but the first time I did in about 1996, the ship started circling for no apparent reason. Then we saw why. A diver was stranded, inflated his warning "tube" and was then rescued by helicopter. Great times had in Wellington.

My friend and I took the ferry Xmas 1979 form Wellington to Picton and it was bloody rough. We had never done it before and thought it was normal until we realised we were the only ones on the deck. Most were sick inside. Was easy to get a beer as no-one was at the bar:) We were able to lead 45 degrees into the wind without supporting ourselves. The bow was burying itself in the waves and the water landing on the back deck and you could feel the screws coming out of the water as the whole ferry shuttered. In the troughs we looked up at massive walls of water towering above us. Queen Charlotte Sound was like a mill pond and the ferry leaving the Sounds followed us back in as they decided to shut the Strait. There was an ambulance at Picton and I asked the seaman by the departure door what had happened and he said there was a person whom had died on the crossing from a heart attack. I was gobsmacked. He said the previous crossing had two badly injured people on it but it was too dangerous to cancel our crossing as we would have had to turn around in the middle of the Strait. Made the return trip a bit of a nerve wracking thought till we got there and happily discovered no swell in the Strait:)

The first and last time I crossed Cook strait was in 1968, April 10th. It didn’t go well for us then as we left Lyttleton heading for Wellington. But my family of 8 all made it through. Fortunately for us but not for everyone on board that day.

Remember this as I was aboard. Wrecked my little Mazda 323 red station wagon and me seasick as hell and telling myself if we survived never ever to be on a boat again. So far so good but this still gives me palpitations!

we took a rental campervan on the blue cook ferry to picton last week and it was one the craziest ferry ride of my life. at first it was all fun and entertaining when the ferry starts rocking those big waves and everyone seems like they are having a good time watching sea water splashes on to front window until the ferry starts tilting hard side ways and all of the sudden you see chairs tipping over and hear sounds of dishes breaking from the kitchen then more and more waves keeps on coming like it would never stops and people around you starts throwing up.Luckily it went on for only 2.5 to 3 hrs and its all nice and calm when we reached the channel into Picton port.

Been there numerous times in the 70's. A return day trip as a teen was $1.50. The wilder the better. A lot of fun to see tourists "not coping". - :)

I've watched this 4 or 5 times. Totally amazing still. Thanks for sharing

the crossing I made in 2001 took close to 5 hours , after a week that the ferry could not make the trip due to high seas , that day I will never forget . Ever! great video showing just how the waves battered the ship and it's cargo.

thanks for sharing . some spectacular shots of returning ferry i rough weather. Glad your campervan survived without a scratch.!!

This is the most 2011 video I've ever seen, in the best way possible. Love it!!!

Had a similar experience on the Seacat sailing from Weymouth to Guernsey. Fortunately the sailing was very early morning at 6.30am and in February, so the boat was almost empty. We weren't quite aware how bad the storm was until I watched a massive container ship come across behind us and the waves were coming up over the top of the containers. The water was constantly coming over the top of the Seacat. Everyone on board virtually, was ill and like I said, good job there weren't many people,. My husband disappeared into the toilets about 30 mins after we left the harbour and I didn't see him again until we docked 4 hours later. I had been throwing up into paper bags. When we went down on to the car deck, all the vehicles had moved, though they had been tied down, and luckily our car was pretty much on it's own in a space and came through it unscathed, but others didn't. When we arrived on Guernsey the sailing was the talk of the island because it was apparently a force 10 gale and the captain should never have set sail.

I live at the entrance to Wellington harbour. There a few storms per year where I'm afraid in my house!....let alone out on a ship! Brilliant footage guys. Well done.

I'm so glad your T2 wasn't damaged. I worked on these ferries years before this footage was shot. On one trip we came 3 degrees from rolling the ferry upside down. That was a wild day! Thanks for sharing.

Great vid. Love the attitude of everyone. Accept nature as part of life

Wow‼️‼️‼️ I have traveled from the north island and returned and thought it was rough 😮 you were sooo lucky to drive your van off without a scratch. Thank you so much for the video. Hope you see my comment. Bravo 👌👍👏

Great video! I have fond memories travelling as a child on the Cook Straight ferries - its awesome! Glad the Kombie survived, all the newer cars needed character anyway.

Those must have been 8 terrorising hours with the rough seas. The film itself was directed well and was suspenseful. It kept me going till the end. Those waves were mean enough to annoy the handling of well experienced crews out there. It's a true blessing all made it back safely with no harm or human loss. Cheers for a realy good video.

We took the same ride going the other direction in 1981. It was 6.5 hours, half the boat was seasick. We were on a rugby tour 6 games 3 on each island. I have never forgotten that trip. Sometime during the voyage a number of us young bucks ventured outside mostly to get away from the swell. Most of the locals were saying it wasn't that bad,but I noticed the bar was cleared out after the first two hours haha. We had one guy on our team who got sick before we got out of the inside passage. It must have been hell to be sick, but when we rounded into Wellington on our 3 or 4th attempt the Seas calmed and all the zombies begain to rise. No car damage I can remember. You brought back good memories. It is called the roughest stretch of water in the world the Cook straight

Amazing video of the strength of nature! That passage from south to north is in my future. It will be interesting to see how it goes! Thanks for sharing!

Well done, great video. I cant get over the old camper van, bit of a godly hand looking after that one.

I worked as a cabin attendant around 2009. After the ship crested a huge wave and landed flat. I remember heading upstairs to the check if anyone who was sleeping needed new undies. it was such a huge crash. Also remember occasions where the ship was on such a lean i thought wed go over. Trucks came unstuck on that crossing too. Take note on the ARAHURA, we also carried rail.

Fantastic footage, would've liked to hear more of the original audio instead of music though. Happy to say that according to New Zealand Transport Association the green VW Kombi EG1709 is still on the road today!

thanks for the video, I took the same trip myself in 1997 and it was completely flat, amazing to see how different that journey can be.

I'm glad I didn't watch this video before travelling on the ship a few years ago! Excellent film, one of the best on KZfaq. One of those 'adventures' that are scary in real time but a great story afterwards.

Wow! I was feeling seasick watching this! And all those vehicles that where damaged, what a shame. Great vid.

Yep-if i remember right.this was the year the Lions toured NZ.They refunded everyones fare and offered to cover all the repairs of vehicles damaged.The captain of that trip was in court for decisions made on that sector.Was super tired from the drive from Auckland that morning and was asleep in the TV lounge bench until worken up by all the commotion.Could have been worse. Just watched this again to show the wifey the proof of this tale i always tell and realized I was Infront of you on that ramp.Honda Accord .😂😂..that car went everywhere and yes,our row didn't suffer any damages..thank you..your recording captured an exciting part of my student life..moving around NZ..chasing qualifications.

This evokes so many memories. From the anticipation while waiting to board, driving on, finding the way up stairs, getting good seats in the lounge, first sensation of moving, lounge emptying as we reach open water, spotting the ferry going the opposite way and seeing how the water crashes over it, toilets closed because they're blocked, people flooding onto the deck once in the shelter of the Marlborough Sounds and enjoying the fresh air, to docking and driving off (first car off once!) Great editing, thanks for the video.

awesome vid, i wish i had a camera back in 94. the waves were so huge coming over the bow. people were getting sick everywhere and it was at night too. i was having the time if my life though lol i was 11 at the time, never forget it. our return trip was beautiful.

That's a really well produced film - very enjoyable!

daily life of seamen working on liners, trying to provide transportation of pax and cargo at a daily basis . Hats off!⚓⚓💪 you do not fear the sea you respect it!!

This is so well edited! I live in Wellington. These days they are more likely to cancel the ferries when the weather is like this. What a horrible crossing!

Very good video. Have travelled it many times but never struck it this way.

It's not aways like that! I had a really gorgeous trip when I did it, absolutely fantastic!

I miss the hard seas.. it has been a long time.. I just wanted to see (and remember) one more time.. thanks

Something like this happened to me around 1994. I was on the ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. A 17 to 20 hour cruise, depending on the weather. When we set off the sea was pretty calm but about halfway through the journey the sea became angry. The ship was rolling back and forth quite a bit and it was hard to walk. A lot of people got seasick and were throwing up everywhere. Fortunately I do not get seasick. So I was watching out the window and enjoying the show. Then the breakfast bell rang and I went to the galley and had my breakfast while watching the waves. I figured that if they served breakfast then we were ok (and we all know from the song that if it's too rough to feed ya that you are doomed.) After I finished my breakfast I decided to go exploring. At first I descended downward. I wanted to check out everything from the bottom up. So I started opening doors and climbing down stairs. The stairs were narrow and steep and clearly not made for the passengers. I checked everything out and saw all of the vehicles. Eventually I got back up to the main deck although I was outside of it. I could look into the windows and see the passengers who were seasick. I felt bad for them but glad that I was not among their number. Now it was time to climb. I started searching for stairs. I climbed a couple and I kept expecting for someone from the crew to tell me to come back down but nobody did. It soon became clear to me that nobody knew I was out there. I also expected to find a door locked stopping my advance but they were all open. Finally I emerged onto the very top of the ship where the smokestacks were. The very top. The sea was still angry but the view was incredible. It was windy and wet and there wasn't anything up there to stop me if I slipped: I would have plunged to my death and nobody would ever know about it until I didn't come to get my truck. It was dangerous up there on a calm day and suicidal in a storm. But I walked around on that wet deck for quite some time because it was beautiful and intoxicating. I was being pitched about by the motion of the ship, blown about by the wind and finding it hard not to slip on the wet deck. Finally I decided to go back down and emerged back into the ship and sat down like nothing ever happened. The end.

This is my second time watching this video. It's even better second time around. I'm a proud owner of a 1992 Eurovan... *super* happy your camper van came out of that _without_ a single scratch (as it should be, I say).

Great video, one hell of a memory too, never mind the haters, I thought the film had plenty of atmosphere, thank you for sharing.

It's a good thing my kids didn't see this vid before we took the ferry for holiday this summer. They would've been so scared.

Dunno why but loved the way the captain smiled at 2:02

Very well edited, nice video and a hell of a memory I would imagine!

I really enjoyed this video I was born and raised in Wellington and after >20 years abroad (US), had over time, forgotten how bad the weather can be there - lotsa memories of winters with rain and strong/gusting southerly winds came flooding back to me Is a great city - good on a bad day, awesome on a great day BTW - glad the Kombi survived intact/without a scratch

Great job on this clip! Glad you and your ride made it out ok. Total carnage!

crazy how different this would seem in the dark

Very professional video. Very well shot and collated. Thanks for posting.

When I was a kid my Grandfather worked on the Inter Island Ferries. During school holidays children of some of the crew members were always 'snuck' on board for the day. I had rougher crossings than this and loved it.

I remember it being up n down but this looks like another level of up n down. Thanks for sharing.

I did this crossing in March 2007, Wellington to Picton and it was absolutely amazing. The most beautiful scenery going into Picton. The ferry was originally Pride of Portsmouth which had been painted over with the new name. Thank goodness the weather I had was fantastic. 🤞👍

Ahhhh bless her, Old Arahura riding through the waves. Love the vessel you passed.

When the seabirds refuse to come along for the easy pickings and, instead, stay huddled among the rocks at the shoreline, you should probably heed their advice.

Happy to have both of my feet on dry land! What a brilliant video!

That sure is BEAUTIFUL LOOKING VESSEL/SHP. THANK YOU FOR SHARING A SPLASH IN A VERY BIG BATH.

Great video, have awesome memories of travelling the interisland ferrys in those conditions

Outstanding video of a pretty serious mishap. Reminds me of an overnight passage I once took on the lovely "Wahine", with thirty foot waves coming up to the promenade. The wave shots are superb, especially of the other ferry. Photography of wave conditions, in my experience, makes it look less threatening and spectacular than it really is. Cook Straight is a serious stretch of water, I am stunned that the vehicles were so inadequately tied down.

Great share ! I live in US near New York City. Every vid I’ve seen from NZ is amazing. I’m glad you shared the location and info. I was planning on a holiday in NZ in 2020 but covid happened.

I have fond memories of crossing - before the stabilised ferries - back in the 1980's, on my way from boarding school in Nelson to Wellington to see my grandparents.

Man...I grew up on a sailboat...I would love to see this weather again! Thanks for uploading!

I remember a trip from Lyttleton to Wellington in 1975 on the Rangatira ferry. I don’t think the boat had stabilizers. Got rough going through Cook Strait. Really rough. So many people lined up along the deck railing throwing up during that Strait crossing. Pity the govt. got rid of Chch/Wgtn route in 1976 and confined us all to Wgtn/Picton/Wgtn instead, thus making those of us who lived in The North Island reliant on aeroplanes to get to secondary school down in Christchurch. The overnight sleeper on the Rangatira was much better. Btw., the Rangatira went on to fight in the Falklands as a troop carrier after its time in NZ was over. Your video was interesting. I’d have thought they would secure the vehicles in the roll-on/roll-off decks more effectively.

The guy with tears streaming down his face was the ship's insurance agent.

I remember riding a the ferry from Picton to Wellington, it was a wild ride with waves crashing over the entire ferry, fortunately I wasn’t sea sick, couldn’t say the same for most of the passengers.

Thanks for sharing. I've made the same trip, but it was a lot calmer. Amazing.

The crossing is quite lovely when calm 😎

On the flip side, on a fine coming into Picton through the Marlborough sounds is absolutely stunning!

Capt. Cook sailed these seas in a wooden sailing boat - respect!

Isn't the ocean awesome. I've been scared many times , but it does make you feel alive. Good video 👍

Thanks for posting this video. I am in awe of nature. Viewing also made me review our original plan of taking the ferry south island in late March this year. While I would certainly brave any potential storm, and even love the experience, I do not want to damage my rented car and potential disruptions in my itinerary.

Cook Strait is strangely fickle. We made a glassy smooth crossing at water-skiing speed but the next day, the ferry fought a 6m swell, the point where passengers are not carried but freight still is. If the swell reaches 9m all operations are suspended. (Info from a Bluebridge crew member.)

I love doing that trip. One of my favorite things to do. Must do it again soon. Seriously. If you come to NZ, go on the interislander.

It's just amazing the power of the ocean, a beautiful but scary thing to see

Good example of a rough Cook Strait crossing! I'm lucky that I don't get seasick so the rougher it is, the more I like it! Many years ago, I was aboard on a rough crossing and near the end of the crossing the fish-and-chip place was closing. The chippie offered me some chips (I think they just get thrown out otherwise) - I gratefully accepted and was pigging-out on chips while a few others sat around looking miserable, probably thinking "how can he have greasy food at a time like this!" Great times!

Thanks for posting this video. It was a great reminder of our wild trip from the South Island back up to the North. The ferry was slanting from the wind the whole way!

The passing ferry is made at Aalborg yard and called ARAHURA. I worked on it in 1983 .. Great to see it again. Have another color in the film and probably have a different name. Great to see it again after so many years.

wow. I had similar experience while I was travelling from Jersey channel Island to Portsmouth crossing English channel. Still I can remember that horrified memory, lots of vehicles being damaged.

Wow, memories. I was on that other ferry, going to Wellington. Seeing the boat ride those swells makes my stomach churn. I had passed out in the toilet with my shoes soaked in everyone's vomit, and my own. But we still enjoyed the WWE shoe the next night :)

For many years I worked in Air New Zealand's Airline Ops Centre at Wellington airport. Our office had large windows looking across the tarmac and out over Cook Strait. We were in the "Box seats" when it came to watching the ferries lunging and plunging past the South end of the runway... you could make yourself seasick just watching them! On a day like this one however, we did not have a spare moment to watch; the same bad weather would result in missed approaches, diversions to alternate airfields, and a schedule in complete disarray! 🥴 (In fact, there are a number of KZfaq videos of aircraft trying to land at Wellington in bad weather; it used to bring the plane-spotters out in droves!)

The sea was angry that day my friends… like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli!

It's New Zealand, conditions change extremely quick.

Been there done that, Back in the mid 70s I crossed many times as I went to Lincoln College and lived in the North Island. Those old Rail services ferry's took the cake. Good for their time but nothing like you have now!!! Eating Crayfish and drinking beer from the back of the station waggon while waiting to board. Sitting in the bar looking out the window to nothing but sea then when rolled the otherway, nothing but clouds. Never fell of the bar styools but got close at times!!! Those were the days, so tame now!!!!

Люблю море! Особенно в экране монитора!И с берега на приличном расстоянии!

Wow! We did this crossing a couple of months ago. Welly to Picton was fine, Picton to Welly less so, but man nothing as bad as this! Those vehicles don’t look to have been stacked very securely!

Oh yes....The infamous Cook Strait! We did it back in '76..going out from Picton . 25ft breaking waves...not swells, breaking top to bottom..OMG..and all I could think about was all the heavy train cars underneath the ferry...all the Kiwi old-timers were at the bar quaffing schooners like it was no big deal and saying things like.."Oh yes mate..one went down back in the 50's..same sorta day..hahha."

It was just like this on a ferry crossing I travelled on through Cook Strait in Christmas 1975 !

Great content, thanks!

I used to take a truck across almost weekly on the Aramoana or Aranui Ferries. Had some very rough crossings, but luckily not as bad as when the Wahine went down.

Memories of my trip, via Southern Ocean (Seas you never forget) Sth Austrailia, via Tasmania to Sth Island NZ.

Had 2 great trips on the ferry when we attended the 2011 RWC - And thank you NEW ZEALAND for a wonderful time 🤗🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇪

Video is great! You share very well. Wish you good health !

I was on a school trip 40 years ago when you could take a train to catch the ferry from Christchurch. Once we got out the sounds all he’ll broke loose pupils and passengers were vomiting everywhere. I remember sliding in the head as I was trying to take a pee and the puke rolled under the door and got all over my new school shoes I will never forget the carnage of sick passengers try to huddle near the center of the ship, it felt like it took forever to get to Wellington!

Reminds me of a crossing I did from Larne (Ireland) to Stranrear (Scotland) in a Force 9... Boke!

Muy bueno el video, me ha gustado mucho y me hizo recordar las travesías que hacía en los Ferrys entre los años 80 y 90 en los estrechos de Gibraltar y el de La Macha.

Great video, mate!

We experienced similar voyage on the 40th anniversary of the sinking of the Lyttelton-Wellington ferry Wahine on 10 April 1968, which was New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster. Fifty-one people lost their lives that day.

Thanks for sharing I made the same trip ,it was just as rough !! had no train in it for ballast an bounced around like a cork an the crew were sea sick .I did wonder what they were up when all the shutters went on windows before we left port

People complaining about the music have some personal issues. The songs in the video actually are pretty smooth, got that 90's/early 2000's vibe.

NIce video mate, greetings from Brazilian Shipspotting !!!

Reminds me of my experience on the same vessel crossing the Cook Straight in 2004. Same conditions except the ship lost power to both engines as we approached the south island. At one point the captain announced that we might have to board the sister ship which had moved alongside. How this was going to happen I don't know. There were lifeboats and helicopters all around. Luckily though they managed to regain power to both engines and we sailed into Picton. Unlucky for all the people on this crossing who's cars were damaged.