Ferry ride from Hell..no Wellington....to serenity of Queen Charlotte Sound.

As I mentioned: We were due to sail on Arahura Interislander Ferry this morning from Wellington to Picton, that is from the bottom of the North Island to the tip of the South.


We left Lambton Quay at around 11am and quickly saw how expansive the harbour and spread out the city was... and, I stole a glance at the sky even now and then, and the water....


It was definitely getting rougher and the wind was picking up. The Captain came over the PA system and said that there was "a bit of wind expected once we got out into Cook Strait", in fact he said "it was blowing a gale" and the waves were around 8-9 metres high!


Wooohh....


This was a new experience for me! Better check the status of those lifeboats again...



The crew got busy handing around paper vomit bags and ice while food and trays crashed off the shelves in the cafeteria.
Apparently ice chips really help if you are feeling seasick or nauseous, and whilst my daughter had her face in a cup of these for about 45 minutes without respite, I was ok if I watched the land, and sucked on an ice chip when the big crashes came.
Getting rougher, and roughter...The waves were crashing over the bow.. and this was no small boat. Time to head up to the back of the boat and stick our heads out into the wind, and try not to get our fingers jammed in the doorway when the door closed. Going up stairs holding a backpack swinging around on your back, in one hand and a child in the other, means there is no hands free to hold on to any hand rails, so you have to trust your sense of balance implicitly.

I even rang my husband to tell him what conditions I was sailing in.... he was thrilled! Blow all the cobwebs away I guess he thought...

Oh better get a picture before the sea calms, if that ever happens... and the boat stops the listing...

Many others joined us up the back with their cups of ice....

to be continued....