People on the streets of Wellington give their opinion on the new Interislander ferry name.

Interislander's new ferry has a new name, but some are finding it hard to get their heads around.

The new ferry has been named Kaiarahi, which in Maori means "leadership" or "to lead" but also has metaphorical meanings including "guardian" or "to guide".

While many on Wellington's street struggled with the pronunciation, the new name was universally liked.

KEVIN STENT/Dominion Post Interislanders new ferry name is revealed

The name was revealed on Tuesday morning at the Wellington Interislander ferry terminal and was kept strictly under wraps until the unveiling.

The ship, formerly known as Stena Alegra, would go into service on Cook Strait in spring, KiwiRail said.

The ship was in dry dock in Singapore getting upgrades including new lounges, bar, stabilisers, navigation, engine room equipment, and gangway access.

FILE PHOTO/KIWIRAIL An artist's impression of what the new Cook Strait ferry Kaiarahi - the ship formerly known as Stena Alegra - will look like.

She would arrive in New Zealand at the start of August, then after some commissioning, training, and certification, begin taking freight, then passengers.

Existing Cook Strait ferry Arahura would be retired on July 31, so until Kaiarahi came into full service, Interislander would be down to two ferries during the quieter winter months.

The Swedish-owned Stena Alegra was brought to New Zealand in late 2013 to substitute for the crippled Aratere, which had to undergo major repairs.

But the Stena Alegra was not immune from problems.

It broke down in Wellington Harbour in its first week of service, had propeller problems, and suffered a gash in its hull when it hit a Wellington wharf.