News from Bluebridge Ferry

Picton Santa Parade pulls large crowd

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +1300

There were around 30 floats in the Picton Santa Parade this year along with marching teams and kids of all ages on decorated trikes, bikes and scooters.

The Picton pipe band played Snoopy's Christmas as free goodies from local businesses were dished out to the hundreds who lined Picton's main street. And for those who wanted to experience even more Chritmas spirit, there was free face painting and photo opportunities with Santa down at the foreshore just after the parade.

It was an awesome free day out for the whole family proving yet again, that Picton really is the coolest little port around! Checkout the photos below.

Market stalls lined the foreshore for some shopping in paradise

Taco Bill warm-up the crowd with a catchy little tune, meanwhile some local kids decided it would be fun to have a dance

Picton Kindergarten showing everyone how to get to the North Pole.

The Bluebridge vehicles looking just a tad more festive than usual.

The Picton Posties!

How cool is this Christmas bike? It even has it's own tree.

It's all about the big red guy.

It's hard work having fun or could we be witnessing a sugar crash from all that free candy?

Koru the kiwi & swim safe crew onboard during New Zealand school holidays

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +1300

Great news boys and girls! Swimming New Zealand’s giant kiwi mascot Koru will be sailing back and forth across Cook Strait with us during the school holidays sharing his water safety message with fellow kiwis like you.

Koru and his ‘Learn to Swim’ team will be entertaining children of all ages with free educational games, competitions, quizzes and puzzles onboard. There will be prizes and giveaways so if you’re booked on one of the sailings below, make sure you head over to the Swimming NZ zone onboard our ship and say Kia Ora to Koru. He’s rather large –you won’t miss him!

December 20th at 8am ex Wellington
December 20th at 2pm ex Picton
December 21st at 1.30pm ex Wellington
December 21st at 7pm ex Picton

Learn more about the State Kiwi Swim Safe Program or read about family facilities available onboard Bluebridge Cook Strait Ferry.

Kids of all ages can enjoy Koru's water and beach safety programme as they cross Cook Strait these school holidays.

Bluebridge come 2nd place in the Queen Charlotte Classic

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +1300

The competitors’ briefing outside Dolphin Watch on the Picton Foreshore. A perfect day in paradise.

Runners boarding a Beachcomber Cruise Boat to travel across the Queen Charlotte Sound, to the gorgeous Mistletoe Bay

Kayaks line up on Picton Foreshore prior to the race

Early kayaker finishing with the Bluebridge Santa Regina ship berthing in background.

Theo running towards changeover -legs feeling like jelly after a 1 hour bike ride!

Action shot of Brett in the streamlined speed machine, nearly there!

Brett Baxter, Ellie Stuart & Theo Sloot – Team Bluebridge 2011. Well done guys, great effort!

Free travel for the student driver of any car that makes it to our ferry!

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:00:00 +1300

Book your car on one of our ferries to travel anytime during November and you, as a student driver, will travel for FREE. Saving you more than $50! But hurry this offer is only available for a limited time.To book, call us now on 0800 844 844

Terms & Conditions

Offer available: 4th - 18th November 2011
Available to current tertiary student ID cardholders (card must be shown on check-in)
Payment required at the time of booking
Failure to present valid tertiary student ID card will require the difference in fare to be paid prior to travel
Valid travel period: 5th - 30th November 2011. (Transferring outside of these dates will void the discount and any increase in fare to that available will be required to be paid before travel)
Standard fare conditions apply
Subject to availability
Bookings must be made through the Bluebridge call centre, offer cannot be booked online
Not available in conjunction with other special offers/concessions

Nelson Arts Festival goes to the dogs

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1300

Asha the dog with (from left) Freya Fleming, Bianca Rosewarne, Tegan Fleming, Owen Barnett and Jordie Mockett-Flewellen dressed in a cowboy theme. Photo by MARTIN DE RUYTER

The Pet Art Wear show was one of the highlights of the Bluebridge Family Finale which attracted an estimated 3000 people to the Founders Heritage Park Village on Labour Day.

The day's entertainment also included performances by the Nelson World Ukulele Orchestra and Wellington's Newtown Rock Steady.

We awarded the top prize to the Crompton-Loader family of Nelson who, including dogs Scrappy and Emily, went dressed as Hairy Maclary and his friends. The family won a return trip to Wellington with us and a voucher from Halifax Veterinary Centre.

Sarah Loader said the kids loved taking part in the show and the win came as a complete surprise. Well done guys, we're glad you had fun!

For more information about the Bluebridge Family Finale Day or to the view the entire Nelson Arts Festival programme click here

Adrienne Owen with dog Peggy. Photo by MARTIN DE RUYTER

Work begins on jetty for Kaipupu Point Wildlife Sanctuary

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1300

Bellbird photo taken by Diane John

How can you help us?

Kaipupu still need donations to complete the pest eradication and fund the tracks. Get your name recorded by sponsoring a metre of track for $20. See if we can bring forward the opening date, before Christmas 2012. Every little bit helps.

Visit The Kaipupu Point Wildlife Sanctuary Website to find out how you can become a sponsor, a volunteer or a friend of the sanctuary.

Tui and Kiwi bird song soft toys are for sale onboard, all proceeds help Kaipupu Point Wildlife Sanctuary

The shop at 23 High St in Picton has a children's corner where, for a gold coin donation, children can get a new Kids' Fun Pack containing activities involving our native birds and Kaipupu sanctuary. The window display has attracted a lot of comments and donations from locals and visitors.

There is also a range of merchandise for sale including bird song soft toys, bags, jackets and cards, which are also available on our ferries. These have been very popoular with Aussie, South African and British rugby fans from cruise ships and campervans. Their generosity and interest confirms that Kaipupu will be a major attraction for visitors to Picton. So help us help Kaipupu Point become a significant showpiece of nature restoration that all kiwis can be proud of!

Win a Cookie Muncher Colouring Competition

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1300

Congratulations to our winners Egypt Naera (11 years) & Jago Birley (7 years)!!!

To celebrate the arrival of the good old kiwi favourites Cookie Time, we're running a colouring competition these school holidays onboard our ships! 2 x Cookie Muncher Gift Packs are up for grabs plus every entry recieves a FREE Rookie Cookie. This is the 'Rookie' version of New Zealand's favourite cookie - the Cookie Time Original Chocolate Chunk. It's the same recipe, the same look - just a 'Rookie' size!

Instructions

Click on one of the following links to download the attached PDF files: Bluebridge Family or Mermaid
Print off a copy
Colour it in! Use your imagination, go wild and have fun!
Write your name, address, phone number and how old you are on the back.
Pass it to one of the Bluebridge crew onboard our ship when you set sail with us.
You’ll receive a free rookie cookie and go in the draw to win the main prize.

Competition Terms and Conditions

Entry is open to Bluebridge Customers aged 5-12 only. Anyone employed by (and any immediate family member of someone employed) Bluebridge/Strait Shipping, All sponsors, associates and any agencies associated with these companies or with the promotion are ineligible to enter.

Entries close Monday, October 24, 2011. Limit of one entry per person. The draw will take place on Friday, October 28, 2011.

Entries must be submitted to a staff member onboard either of our vessels (The Santa Regina or Straitsman) during that entrant’s sailing. Each valid entry will receive a Cookie Time “Rookie Cookie” upon submission.

The main prize winner will be notified by phone. If a prize is not claimed within 24 hours of a draw Bluebridge may re-draw a new winner of that prize.

Entries become the property of Bluebridge. In accordance with the Privacy Act 1993, Bluebridge collects and holds personal information to conduct the promotion, notify prize winners and verify prize winners' identities, Failure to provide all requested personal information may result in the entry being invalid.

Did you see the Bluebridge flash mob?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:00:00 +1300

We surprised the pants off commuters in down town Wellington yesterday with a Bluebridge dancing flash mob. Over 80 participants joined our 12 “Bluebridge Sailors” in a fun hip-hop dance routine. A few random members of the public even got in on the action! We’d like to thank the Wellington City Council, Vidcom and most importantly Infinite Dance Crew –our talented sailors. Missed the flashmob? Check out the photos below or watch the official video here

Infinite Dance Crew is an all female hip hop crew based in Wellington. Formed in 2008, the group is now made up of twelve members, who all share the same passion and love of hip hop dance. Infinite are the current New Zealand Hip Hop Champions and we're helping them get to the Gold Coast, Australia to compete in the FISAF World Championships next week!

If you’d also like to show your support for the crew (maybe even buy an official tee!) contact them via the Infinite Dance Crew Facebook page. GOOD LUCK TEAM!

Slow mo!

Stomp!

Big group finale facing the Railway Station entrace

Top Row (left to right): Becky Cooke, Esther Lau Young, Elise Hoggard, Anna Robinson, Grace Lynes, Bella Austin Bottom Row: Louise Baker, Rinaha Bridge-Comer, Alex Carter, Sarah Courtney, Libby Calder (Coach), Brianna Coughlin

Santa Regina gets a makeover

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +1200

One of our Bluebridge ferries - the Santa Regina is back in Wellington after a two week makeover during its bi-annual dry-dock in Auckland. We’ve compiled a list of all the work completed on her for all you shipping enthusiasts out there!

Underwater parts of the hull were cleaned and painted.
Topsides and Superstructure cleaned and painted.
Refurbishing of the crew mess room.
Port Main Engine: Overhaul 6 units + renew all main bearings.
Air coolers for main and auxiliary engines cleaned by ultrasonic methods; these were done by Metal Immersions (Wellington).
Steel repairs to P and S aft quarters; these were damages that had occurred a few months prior to the docking.
Steel repairs as required in various ballast tanks.
Survey of main exhaust gas boilers and the auxiliary boiler.
Steel repair in the fore peak tank.
Tail shaft and rudder clearances.
Renewal of all sacrificial anodes on the hull and inside tanks.
Various surveys as required by Lloyds Register.
Various motors and pumps overhauled which may not otherwise be accessed while the ship is in service.
Repairs to navigational lights and associated masts.
Polishing of the propeller blades (main propulsion and bow thrusters).
Inspection and calibration of the anchors (P and S ) and chains.
Cleaning of E/R bilge and sludge tanks.
Renewal of various pipelines.
Main and auxiliary stern doors cleaned, inspected and painted; repairs carried out as required.
Life boat decks insulation repaired.

Crazy about Rugby Campers

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +1200

A very distinctive fleet of ten campervans are working their way down the country in a convoy, stopping at key tourism destinations along the way until they reach Dunedin to support the All Blacks in their test match against Fiji on 22 July.

Each Britz campervan is named after iconic All Blacks past and present, including McCaw, Dalton, Howlett, Jones, Kirkpatrick, Kirwan, Leslie, Meads, Thorne and Wilson. Today we were lucky enough to take a peek inside and help the crazy campers cross the strait. Watch out South Island, here they come! You can track their journey and see more photos here.

Peter Ellison -General Manager of Bluebridge in the line out!

Bluebridge Helping Clean Up Coastlines

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +1200

Sustainable Coastlines coordinate and support large-scale coastal clean-up events, riparian planting projects, schools educational roadshows, public awareness campaigns and other projects aimed at protecting and sustaining our coastlines. Through these projects they motivate volunteers and communities around Aotearoa / New Zealand and the Pacific to look after the coastlines we all love

As supporters of the initiative we'll be participating in clean-up events and providing the Sustainable Coastlines team with transport between the islands. For more info or to find out how you can get involved visit www.sustainablecoastinles.org

Cabins going down a treat with passengers

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +1300

The selection of two and four berth private cabins – complete with their own ensuites – have been proving popular with passengers since the ship joined the Bluebridge service in December. Two berth cabins are available for hire for $40 one way, while a larger family size four berth cabin (plus portacot if required) costs $60 one way. All cabins come complete with bed linen and towels. The Straitsman – which has been assessed as fully wheelchair accessible – also has private wheelchair friendly cabins containing height adjustable beds and a large accessible ensuite. To book a cabin passengers should ask at reception onboard the Straitsman before the sailing departs.