From early morning until after midnight, Fullers360's walk-up boat links Downtown Auckland's Pier 11 with Mātiatia on Waiheke, and since its summer changes in October it sails every half hour through much of the day. The crossing takes about 40 minutes, a few sailings call at Devonport, and Auckland Transport now lists the adult single fare at $32.50, paid by AT HOP or cash, not by tapping a bank card.
Auckland Transport's schedule data for Fullers360 (feed from 12 October 2026), covering 26 October to 29 November 2026; Fullers360's own summer timetable could not be read; checked 23 October 2026 Auckland Transport – GTFS schedule data, route MTIA (Fullers360) · 2026-10-23
Fullers360 calls its main Waiheke product the Walk-up ferry, and the name tells you how it works: you buy a ticket or tag on with AT HOP and board the next boat out of Pier 11 or 12. Auckland Transport, which counts the route as part of its ferry network, still advises planning ahead in busy seasons because capacity is limited.
Monday to Saturday, Downtown's opening Waiheke departure is 06:00, and Sunday starts at 07:00. From mid-morning to early evening boats now leave roughly every half hour in both directions, with the odd hourly gap. In the evening the gaps widen to an hour and a half; Monday to Saturday the city's last boat is the 23:45 and the island's is the 00:30, while Sundays wind up earlier.
Is Fullers360 the only operator? No. Island Direct runs a bookable service from Pier 13 to Pier 3 at Mātiatia, which Auckland Transport's data shows with seven departures a day from Auckland; it takes contactless as well as AT HOP. The two companies sell separate tickets, and a monthly pass for one is no good on the other.
Auckland Transport prices a Fullers360 trip between Waiheke and central Auckland or Devonport at one flat amount per direction, and here the AT HOP card buys no discount: cash and HOP cost the same. Since AT's October update the adult single is $32.50, up from $31. Contactless payment by bank card or phone is not taken on the Fullers360 boat, AT's fare caps play no part, and the free weekend travel AT gives children on other ferries does not extend to Waiheke.
Fullers360 also sells its own return, off-peak and family tickets. Its website was blocked to us by a CAPTCHA on 23 October, so those prices are not in this table; the amounts below are AT's.
| Adult, one way (cash or AT HOP) | $ 32.50 |
| Child 5–15, one way (cash or AT HOP) | $ 14.50 |
| Secondary student, one way (cash or AT HOP) | $ 14.50 |
| AT HOP Waiheke monthly pass | $ 400 |
Single fares in Auckland Transport's ferry fare table, page updated 11 October 2026, read 23 October 2026 Auckland Transport – Ferry fares, Waiheke Island (Fullers360) · 2026-10-23
From Piers 11 and 12 the boat runs east, leaving the Waitematā behind and crossing the inner Hauraki Gulf to Mātiatia, the bay at the western end of Waiheke where both passenger operators berth. Fullers360 gives the direct crossing as approximately 40 minutes, and AT's schedule data times it the same way. The sailings that call at Devonport cross the harbour to the North Shore first, about ten minutes into the trip, and Fullers360 reckons them roughly ten minutes slower overall.
Fullers360's Waiheke boats board at Piers 11 and 12 of the Downtown Ferry Terminal at 99 Quay Street. Island Direct, the other Waiheke operator, uses Pier 13 next door, so check which pier your ticket belongs to before you queue. Paper tickets for the Fullers360 boat are sold at the terminal and on Fullers360's website; if you need an AT HOP card, the AT Customer Service Centre is on Pier 1.
On Waiheke, Fullers360 departs from Pier 1 at the Mātiatia Ferry Terminal, and Fullers360 tickets are sold at the terminal as well as in the city. Island Direct berths at Pier 3 on the same wharf, where its crew sell tickets as you board. Waiheke Bus Company, which is part of Fullers360, runs the island's buses, and they are included in the AT HOP Waiheke monthly pass.
Tapping a Visa, Mastercard or phone works on most Auckland ferries but not on the Fullers360 Waiheke boat. Load an AT HOP card or buy a ticket at the terminal or online before you walk down the pier.
A return between Auckland and Waiheke does not include a stopover. Fullers360's timetable warns that getting off at Devonport means paying again for the trip back to the city.
If your HOP card carries the SuperGold concession, AT ferries cost nothing outside the weekday morning rush, that is from 9am Monday to Friday and at any hour on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Waiheke is not on AT's list of exceptions; before 9am on a weekday the adult fare applies.
From Monday to Saturday the last boat leaves Mātiatia at 00:30; on Sundays and holidays the island's final departure is the 23:00. Miss it and the next one is in the morning.
This boat carries foot passengers only. Cars go on SeaLink's separate vehicle ferries, which run from their own terminals and are booked with SeaLink.
Where do these times come from? Fullers360 has announced more Waiheke sailings for this summer, but its website sits behind a CAPTCHA and its last readable printed timetable dates from March. Auckland Transport's schedule data, published from 12 October, carries the new half-hourly pattern through to 29 November and something sparser after that. We publish AT's times until the end of November and will check again before December.
Which other boats leave the same terminal? Fullers360 also runs the Devonport ferry, which shares a few sailings with this route, and the Rangitoto Island ferry to the volcano across the channel. For a quieter Gulf island, Belaire's Rākino Island ferry leaves from Pier 6, a short walk along Queens Wharf, for the small island off Waiheke's northern end, but only on set days. North of the city, the Kawau Island ferry from Sandspit is another Gulf crossing run around island residents, and one you have to book.
About 40 minutes from Downtown to Mātiatia. Sailings that call at Devonport take roughly ten minutes longer.
No. The Walk-up service is designed for turning up with a ticket or an AT HOP card, though Auckland Transport warns that space is limited at busy times.
Not on the Fullers360 boat. AT HOP works, and so does a paper ticket from the terminal. Island Direct's Waiheke service does accept contactless.
Auckland Transport lists $32.50 for an adult and $14.50 for a child (5 to 15) or secondary student, the same with cash or AT HOP. Under-5s ride free.
Mondays to Saturdays it is the 00:30 from Mātiatia, just after midnight. Sunday and holiday timetables stop earlier, with a 23:00 last departure.
Yes, on the sailings that call there. Boats leave Devonport for Waiheke at 09:10, 11:10 and 13:10 every day.
The Sunday one, according to Auckland Transport's data: first boat 07:00 from Downtown, last 23:00 from Mātiatia.