NZ – Cook Strait – Ferry Cancellation Weather Advisory – June 8–10, 2026

A significant southerly weather system is disrupting Cook Strait ferry services, causing widespread cancellations between Wellington and Picton that will impact interisland freight movement over the coming days.

What's Happening

Ferry crossings across Cook Strait are cancelled from 8:00 PM on Monday, 8 June 2026, with sailings not expected to resume until Wednesday morning, 10 June 2026, weather permitting. Both Bluebridge and Interislander have suspended services, with the latter cancelling all Tuesday sailings. The disruption is being driven by a southerly system generating swells in excess of seven metres. MetService has issued an orange heavy swell warning for the lower North Island coast, effective from 6:00 AM Tuesday, 9 June through to 6:00 AM Wednesday, 10 June.

Impact on Freight

All interisland freight reliant on Cook Strait ferry services — including road and rail cargo moving between the North and South Islands — will experience delays. Customers should plan for disruption throughout Tuesday, 9 June, and potential flow-on delays into Wednesday as services resume and backlogs are worked through.

Our team is actively monitoring the situation and will work to prioritise and move affected freight as quickly as possible once sailings resume and vessel capacity normalises.

Next Steps for Customers

• Contact your Account Manager for updates on specific shipments
• Allow for additional transit time beyond the Wednesday resumption date as capacity recovers
• Review any time-sensitive cargo requirements and flag these to our team early