Bayswater ferry
Scheduled ferryAuckland · Explore Group
a direct weekday commuter boat, a harbour loop at weekends
10 minutesCrossing, either direction
5 a day, 6 on SaturdaysWeekend boats from Bayswater
$7.80 / $12Adult fare, AT HOP / cash
The boats here are the ones the big inter-island operators leave out: a harbour car ferry in Northland, a three-day-a-week island run from downtown Auckland, and the water taxis that drop trampers at the start of a Great Walk. Each page says plainly whether you can just turn up or must book.
Only a few of these are ferries in the timetable sense. The Rāwene crossing on the Hokianga runs to a printed table and takes cars; the Rākino boat keeps a calendar of set sailing days; the Port Chalmers to Portobello boat has fixed times but still needs a minimum number of passengers. The rest are water taxis or track transfers that go when they are booked, and some, like the boats to D'Urville Island, quote a price only on request.
Spring is when this changes. The Great Walks season on the Milford Track starts on 1 November, summer timetables appear for the Queen Charlotte Track boats, and lake services that close for winter reopen. Each page shows what was published on the day it was last checked, with that date beside the table, and says so when the summer dates were not yet out.
All prices are in New Zealand dollars. Where an operator does not say whether GST is included, or where two of its own pages give different numbers, the page tells you rather than picking one.
Pins mark the wharves and landings; a dashed line runs between the two ends of each service. Select one to see crossing time, the next thing to know about booking, and a button through to the full page.
a direct weekday commuter boat, a harbour loop at weekends
a request stop by day, a harbour loop at weekends
twelve minutes across the Waitematā, seven days a week
SeaLink's long haul to Aotea, and why summer seats go first
50 minutes from the Whangaparāoa Peninsula to Pier 8, weekdays only
the AT passenger boat, not the Waiheke car ferry
one boat, two wharves, seven days a week
five daily shuttles from Sandspit, booked by phone
22 weekday boats from Beachlands, and a thinner weekend
three sailing days a week, and the dates that break the pattern
three boats a day to a volcano the Crown bought for £15
a winter boat five days a week, then a daily summer run from Labour Weekend
one return trip a day, five days a week, and a summer that fills early
Fullers360's walk-up boat from Downtown to Mātiatia, often half-hourly
SeaLink's drive-on boats to Kennedy Point and how to book a space
Belaire's weekday boat from Hobsonville Marina to Pier 6
three boats a day to Hot Water Beach, and only if you book
Lyttelton Harbour's oldest crossing, now on a Metro fare
one boat out and one back until summer brings a midday pair
Great Walk boats that go where the lake level lets them
water taxis and a barge across Te Aumiti
the 10am mail run from Havelock that also drops people at the bays
pick your Picton boat before you pick your bed
the drive-on shortcut to Russell, priced by vehicle length
two operators, one wharf, and fifteen minutes across the bay
the Kohu Ra Tuarua's fifteen-minute crossing to The Narrows
Urupukapuka Island from Paihia or Russell, and what to leave behind
ten minutes across the Otago Harbour, with a stop at Quarantine Island
Orbus boats across Lake Wakatipu to Frankton Marina and the Hilton
a boat you book by the trip, not by the seat on a cruise
two returns a day across Foveaux Strait, three from December
the Milford Track's first leg runs on DOC's calendar
book the boat, search your bag, be off the island by 18:00
four summer boats up the coast and the beaches they stop at
the ten-minute shortcut between the wharf and Rabbit Island
a boat from the yellow flag that lands you on the sand
the short harbour hop to Ferry Landing, running since 1895
one licensed operator, a DOC permit in the fare, and a morning sailing time you get when you book
one boat, two ways to ride it
Interislander and Bluebridge compared sailing by sailing
Time on the water, sailings and operator for every service. A dash means the operator publishes no figure for that column.
| Service | Region | Kind | Time on the water | Sailings | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayswater ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 10 min | 22 a weekday, 5–6 at weekends | Explore Group |
| Birkenhead and Northcote Point ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 13–23 min (weekend loop 45) | 20 a weekday, 5–6 loops at weekends | Explore Group |
| Devonport ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 12 min | Daily, 30 to 45 a day each way | Fullers360 |
| Great Barrier Island ferry | Auckland | Vehicle ferry | 4.5–5 hours | Up to 7 a week in summer | SeaLink |
| Gulf Harbour ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 50 min | Mon–Fri, 13 out and 11 back | Fullers360 |
| Half Moon Bay ferry to Downtown | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 38 min | 14 a weekday, 5–6 at weekends | Fullers360 |
| Hobsonville Point and Beach Haven ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 30 min (35 from Beach Haven) | 17–18 a weekday, 7–8 at weekends | Fullers360 |
| Kawau Island ferry | Auckland | Island service | – | 5 a day from Sandspit | Kawau Cruises |
| Pine Harbour ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 35 min (45 at weekends) | 22 a weekday, 4–6 at weekends | SeaLink |
| Rakino Island ferry | Auckland | Island service | 45 min | Wed, Fri, Sun (set dates) | Belaire Ferries |
| Rangitoto Island ferry | Auckland | Island service | About 25 min | 3 a day each way | Fullers360 |
| Rotoroa Island ferry | Auckland | Island service | 75 min | 1 a day; 2 on summer weekends | Explore Group |
| Tiritiri Matangi ferry | Auckland | Island service | 80 min (25 from Gulf Harbour) | Wed–Sun, one return a day | Explore Group |
| Waiheke Island ferry | Auckland | Island service | 40 min | 24–28 a day each way | Fullers360 |
| Waiheke car ferry | Auckland | Vehicle ferry | About 50 min | Hourly from 05:00 (weekdays) | SeaLink |
| West Harbour ferry | Auckland | Scheduled ferry | 35 min | Mon–Fri, 16 from the marina | Belaire Ferries |
| Lake Tarawera water taxi | Bay of Plenty | Water taxi | – | 3 a day, only if booked | Totally Tarawera |
| Diamond Harbour ferry | Canterbury | Scheduled ferry | 12–13 min | Daily, 17–23 a day each way | Black Cat Cruises |
| Quail Island ferry | Canterbury | Island service | About 15 min | 1–2 a day each way | Black Cat Cruises |
| Lake Waikaremoana water taxi | Hawke's Bay | Track transfer | 30 min to 1 hr | Set runs, book 2 days ahead | Waiwai Xpres |
| French Pass to D'Urville Island boat | Marlborough | Water taxi | about 15 min (barge) | On demand | D'Urville Island water taxis and barge operators |
| Pelorus Mail Boat | Marlborough | Track transfer | Day run, 5–6 hours | 10:00 on mail-run days | Pelorus Mail Boat |
| Queen Charlotte Track boat transfer | Marlborough | Track transfer | – | 3 a day from Picton (Cougar Line) | Cougar Line and Beachcomber Cruises |
| Opua–Okiato car ferry | Northland | Vehicle ferry | 10 min | About every 10 min, 06:00–22:00 | Northland Ferries |
| Paihia to Russell ferry | Northland | Scheduled ferry | 15 min | 16 a day each way (summer) | Northland Ferries |
| Rāwene ferry | Northland | Vehicle ferry | 15 minutes | 19:30 from Rāwene, 20:00 from The Narrows | Northland Ferries |
| Ōtehei Bay ferry | Northland | Island service | 40 min | 5 a day from Paihia (summer) | Explore Group |
| Port Chalmers to Portobello ferry | Otago | Scheduled ferry | about 10 minutes each way | 12:55 and 15:00 | Port to Port Cruises and Wildlife Tours |
| Queenstown ferry | Otago | Scheduled ferry | 20 min | Daily, hourly or better | Orbus Ferries Queenstown |
| Manapouri to West Arm water taxi | Southland | Water taxi | around 50 min | By arrangement | Manapouri Water Taxi |
| Stewart Island ferry | Southland | Scheduled ferry | About 1 hour | 2 a day, 3 from 1 December | RealNZ |
| Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf boat | Southland | Track transfer | 50 min to 1 hr 15 min | 11:30 and 14:00 in season | Milford Track Transport and Fiordland Outdoors |
| Ulva Island water taxi | Southland | Water taxi | 5 to 10 min | By booking | Rakiura Charters & Water Taxi |
| Abel Tasman water taxi | Tasman | Water taxi | About 45 min to Anchorage | 4 a day from Mārahau (summer) | Abel Tasman AquaTaxi |
| Māpua ferry | Tasman | Scheduled ferry | 10 min | Hourly 10:00–17:00 (summer) | Kiwi Journeys |
| Hahei water taxi to Cathedral Cove | Waikato | Water taxi | – | Every 30 min, Sep–May | Cathedral Cove Water Taxi |
| Whitianga ferry | Waikato | Scheduled ferry | – | About every 10 min, daily | Whitianga Ferry |
| Kāpiti Island boat | Wellington | Island service | About 20 min | Mornings, by booking | Kapiti Island Nature Tours |
| Wellington Harbour ferry to Days Bay and Mātiu/Somes Island | Wellington | Scheduled ferry | – | 16 each way on weekdays | East by West Ferries |
| Wellington to Picton ferry | Wellington / Marlborough | Vehicle ferry | About 3.5 hours | 3 Interislander, up to 4 Bluebridge | Interislander |
The kind of boat decides almost everything: whether there is a timetable, whether you need to book, and whether the price is a ticket or a charter. The same services, grouped that way.
On the Rāwene car ferry you pay on board. Almost everything else here needs a booking: the Lake Tarawera water taxi only sails if someone has booked, and the Lake Waikaremoana boats ask for notice before a run. On the harbour side of Dunedin, the Port Chalmers to Portobello boat has set times but needs enough passengers booked, and the Queen Charlotte Track boats from Picton are booked by departure.
The DOC Great Walks season for the Milford Track runs from 1 November 2026 to 28 April 2027, and the boat from Te Anau Downs to Glade Wharf follows those dates.
The Rāwene ferry across the Hokianga Harbour carries cars, and the barge operators serving D'Urville Island carry vehicles by arrangement. The other services on this site take passengers only.
The Rākino ferry sails from downtown Auckland but not every day, and AT HOP cards are not accepted on it: tickets are bought from the operator.
Each table carries the date it was read from the operator or DOC and a date for the next check. Services that change in spring are due to be rechecked before the summer season starts.