The grounding of the Aratere ferry is a wake-up call for the coalition government to invest in new vessels and infrastructure, critics say.

People have been turning out in Picton to get a glimpse of the stranded Aratere, which is visible from parts of the seaside town.

Nadine Taylor says the grounding of the Aratere near Picton has raised questions about how KiwiRail is looking after its Interislander ferries.

The government was "highly unimpressed" with KiwiRail's ferry maintenance standards, Simeon Brown said earlier this week.

The government has said the timing is not related to the recent grounding of the state-owned enterprise's ferry Aratere.

The Aratere has been refloated - but when it's back in Picton can't move again until it gets the all-clear from investigators.

The Interislander ferry only recently underwent wet dock maintenance, which included the replacement of its steering system.

Interislander's three ferries were all built in the 1990s and have been hit by mechanical problems in recent years.

Ferry operator Interislander says the Aratere will be brought back into port on Sunday while an investigation into the stranding continues. The...

The Aratere is back on the water after a night-time refloating operation.