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Transport > Ferry Travel > New Zealand
Ferry Travel in New ZealandThe ferry is the most popular way to get between the North and South Islands and it is also a good way to get to Stewart Island and the islands in the Hauraki Gulf. Cook Strait (Inter-island Ferries)There are two ferry companies connecting the North and South Island. Interislander (website www.interislander.co.nz) is the main company that most travellers sail with, however there an alternative with the smaller Blue Bridge line. The Interislander has three big ships that connect Wellington and Picton several times a day. This ferry is the most popular option mostly because it is the one everyone knows about and also because you can use some travel passes on it. The Interislander also operates the nicest boats and with up to nine return sailings a day they are the most convenient. The Interislander ferry sails from the Interislander ferry terminal, which is a couple of kilometres outside the city centre, but a free shuttle bus departs the train station 35 minutes before each sailing. There is also a shuttle bus that costs $2 and departs from the YHA hostel at 8.10am to meet the 9.30am ferry departure. Interislander fares are $65 for passengers, $160 for cars, $200 for campervans and $55 for motorcycles. The smaller Blue Bridge line (tel 0800 844 844; website www.bluebridge.co.nz) is an alternative that works out cheaper if you’re taking a car across. Blue Bridge’s fares are also easier to work out, as there is a simple flat fare that everyone pays regardless of when they book their ticket. Blue Bridge ferries depart from the wharf beside the train station. Blue Bridge fares are a flat $49 for passengers, $169 for a car, $204 for a campervan and $99 for a motorcycle. Stewart Island FerriesStewart Island Experience (tel (03) 212 7660; website www.foveauxexpress.co.nz) operates two 20-metre catamarans between Stewart Island and Bluff at the bottom of the South Island. This is the cheapest and most popular way to visit Stewart Island. There are two scheduled trips each day except Christmas day with extra services during peak periods such as long weekends. Foveaux Express ferry fares are $51 each way. Transport between Invercargill and the ferry terminal at Bluff costs an additional $16 each way. Hauraki Gulf FerriesFullers (tel (09) 367 9111; website www.fullers.co.nz) and Sealink (tel (09) 300 5900 or 0800 732 546; website www.sealink.co.nz) operate ferry services from Auckland to the Hauraki Gulf islands including popular trips to Waiheke. Waiheke Island is the most popular destination with both Fullers and Sealink making the half-hour journey from central Auckland. Return fares between Auckland and Waiheke cost $28.50. Fullers also operate commuter ferries to the North Shore with the Devonport service most popular with backpackers. The Devonport ferry runs every half hour and costs $5.20 each way or $9 return. Fullers ferries depart from behind the ferry building at the end of Queen Street in central Auckland. Sealink Ferries sail to Great Barrier Island. The four-hour journey costs $65 one-way or $105 return. Sealink's Great Barrier Island ferries depart from Wynyard Wharf on Jellicoe Street in Freemans Bay, about a half hour walk from the Fullers ferry terminal. Fullers also run ferries to Great Barrier Island and charge around the same as Sealink at $60 one way or $105 return, but Fullers only operate this route during peak times on long weekends and during summer.
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