![]() Aratere in Tory Channel, June 2018 | |
History | |
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Name | Aratere |
Owner | KiwiRail |
Operator | Interislander |
Port of registry | Wellington, ![]() |
Route | Wellington to Picton |
Builder | Hijos de J. Barreras, Spain |
Cost | NZ$132 million |
Yard number | 1570 |
Launched | 8 September 1998 |
Christened | 1999 |
Completed | 15 December 1998 |
Identification |
|
Status | Sailing |
General characteristics | |
Tonnage | |
Length |
|
Beam | 20.5 m (67 ft 3 in) |
Draft | 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in) |
Decks | 6 |
Installed power | |
Propulsion | Fixed propellers, each four blades inward turning |
Speed | 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) |
Capacity |
|
Crew | 31 |
Aratere is a roll-on/roll-off rail and vehicle ferry operated by KiwiRail in New Zealand. Built in 1998 for the then-private company Tranz Rail and lengthened in 2011, she operates four daily crossings on the Interislander service across Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton each day (with six crossings over the December/January period).
As of 2024 [update] , Aratere is New Zealand's only rail ferry. [2] When the vessel is not available, rail freight between the North and South Islands must be transferred to trucks, driven onto other Cook Strait ferries, and then transferred back to rail after the crossing, with associated additional time and cost. [3] In April 2025, KiwiRail confirmed plans to retire the Aratere by the end of 2025 to make way for ferry support infrastructure in Picton. [4]
In 1997, Tranz Rail ordered a new ferry to replace Aratika. The shipbuilding contract for the new vessel, named Aratere, was awarded to Hijos de J. Barreras in Vigo, Spain. [5] She was laid down in November 1997 and launched on 8 September 1998. The vessel was handed over to Tranz Rail on 16 December 1998. [6]
Aratere departed Spain for New Zealand on 16 December 1998. Her voyage took longer than anticipated. On 20 December, fuses on the starboard motors blew. When the replacement fuses were fitted, they blew as well. The following day, the couplings connecting the gearboxes with the port motors failed, leaving Aratere adrift in the South Atlantic. The couplings were removed from the starboard motor and used for the port ones. [7]
In 2011, Aratere underwent a $52 million refit at the Sembawang shipyard in Singapore, [8] increasing her capacity from 360 to 600 passengers. The refit included a new bow. The ship was lengthened by cutting her in half to insert a new 30-metre (98 ft) midsection. [9]
Aratere has been involved in several technical problems and engine failures over her years in service. There is no official relationship between these incidents, though the media have stoked speculation that the ferry may be jinxed and she has earned the nickname "El Lemon". [10] [11]
On 30 April 2025, KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reid confirmed that the Aratere would be retired by the end of 2025 to facilitate work to demolish Picton's wharf infrastructure in anticipation of the two new Cook Strait ferries expected to be delivered in 2029. The wharf infrastructure would be replaced by new specific loading and unloading infrastructure that could not be used on the Aratere. Since the Aratere is the only rail-enabled ferry in KiwiRail's fleet, the company would use road-bridging on the MV Kaitaki and MS Kaiarahi in the interim until the new ferries arrive. [4]
On 19 May 2025, KiwiRail announced that Aratere would be retired by 30 August 2025. [25] In response to the planned decommissioning of the Aratere, KiwiRail announced that it was proposing eliminating 70 jobs aboard the ferry's deck and catering departments. [26]
On 7 August 2025 KiwiRail confirmed that the Aratere would retire on Monday 18 August, The MS Kaiarahi would have returned from drydock maintenance and begin operating on a new schedule, the Aratere's last sailing would be the 11:00 am departure from Picton. [27]
Aratere has both rail and vehicle decks. These can be loaded simultaneously through the stern via a double linkspan. A lower hold has additional space for cars, though access to this hold was blocked off after the refit in Singapore. [28]
Aratere has six decks. [28]
Aratere operates up to six crossings of the Cook Strait each day. In late 2009, Aratere celebrated her 20,000th crossing, having travelled around 2 million kilometres. [29]