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

The Aratere grounding shows the fragility of the link between the North and South islands, Transporting NZ says.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tugboats will attempt to refloat the Aratere after an Interislander ferry ran aground in New Zealand's Marlborough Sounds.

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