Fly or Ferry?
 

Is it better to cross the Cook straight from Picton to Wellington by air or by sea? Do you get much of a view from the plane?

Yelpir, haven't flown between the nth & south island of NZ, but many years we took our campervan & selves on the interisland ferry from Picton across the straits to Wellington.
One of the great visual treats of crossing the channel, is sailing up the Marlborough Sounds, with little bays & houses sprinkled here & there. Thus in my opinion, I would opt for the "slow trip to China" with the interisland crossing, and if your lucky to be standing on the deck, half way across the straits,and the wind is howling, its a real buzz.
Couldn't help notice the squak of the NZ seagulls, nothing like the australian ones, but very similar to the English ones. The seagulls tend to sit on the railing at the rear of the ferry.

Another vote for the boat.

a sublime journey if you get lucky with the weather, which is unpredictable.

Some seasons better than others. It's really up to you - are you risk takers?

If not, play safe and fly. You'll never know if you missed something special or not.

Thanks, folks. We are both very keen photographers and looking for the best opportunity to take pictures. One option we had was to take the 5:45am ferry from Picton to Wellington but we have discounted this because the sun will only rise at 6:15am on that day and we will miss the photo op in Queen Charlotte sound. Glad to hear that this decision was justified :)

For what it's worth, the view by plane is spectacular (although it would be harder to take photos on the plane). I think it comes down to just how much of a hurry you're in, and which option fits best into your overall travel schedule.

Thanks, Moongoddess. Yes, I imagine the view from the plane would be spectacular. Unfortunately, I have since discovered that it is only a small plane with severe baggage restrictions that we would have trouble complying with, so I guess we'll have to take the ferry. I think My companion would probably have prefered to fly as she gets seasick. Oh well...