Fullers

Toured the harbor in Aukland leaving at 1:30 from the wharf. Nice 2 hour cruise with various history lessons and points of interest.

If visiting Waiheke this is pretty much your only option as Fullers is effectively a monopoly. The ferry service is quite expensive, but it is safe and it runs on-​time for the most part.
However, be careful catching the last boat back to Auckland during summer weekends. There have been situations where the last boat has been over-​capacity and left people stranded on the island overnight with no accommodation.
Food service and drinks in the boat are pretty mediocre. If you are looking for a non-​sugary non-​caffeinated drink your only option is water. Bad news if you are diabetic and don’t want to drink something loaded with caffeine.

A great way to travel across town, or to another island. No fuss, no muss ferry/​tour operator. They set us up with a nice wine tour of Waiheke Island and got us there quickly and efficiently. Your ferry ticket is good all day, so take advantage of it and explore your destination. Just be sure to be back at the ferry terminal before the last ferry leaves!

Daytripper! Catch the ferry to Devonport which is about a ten minute journey. If you buy a combined ticket you can have a bus tour too which will show you all around the historic landmark town. Best take your camera as the views you will see will be breathtaking. Visit mount Victoria and gaze at rangito. Ticket valid for the entire day, grab lunch and a stroll along the northern beaches, catch the last bus back.
Visit for more information:
For email bookings or enquiries:
Pickup your ferry and Explorer Tour tickets at the Harbour Information Centre in the Ferry Building on Quay St before departure

Waiheke Island — the place everyone locally and abroad talks about, so it was my time to check it out finally. It was a good excuse to go when an overseas visitor popped in recently for a few days. We headed over on one of Fullers packaged deals — the ‘Waiheke Explorer Tour’. The draw card was that it combined the returned ferry trip with the tour and an all day bus pass. The 10 am ferry trip, on a Thursday summer morning was full of commuters. An enjoyable scenic ride, however note to self — when will you learn — don’t read newspapers during trip, slight queasiness in the stomach. The Fullers bus was comfortable, clean, on time, and the was driver very good at his job. He filled us in with lots of facts and figures like any tour guide, but he also went out of his way to talk to us with care and humour. The return trip in the late afternoon was even busier. Oh, I guess I should mention that the deal cost $ 49 for adults and $ 24.50 for children. We picked up tickets the day before from the Fuller booth, clearly visible on Auckland’s waterfront. However I noticed we could have also bought tickets through their website WWW​.FULLERS​.CO​.NZ or over the phone.

Fullers are Auckland’s main ferry company, with a large fleet of catamarans running out of the Downtown Ferry Terminal on Quay Street. They run a variety of commuter and tourist services to the North Shore, the islands of the Hauraki Gulf and even East Auckland. Perhaps the most popular routes are the ten minute pop to Devonport which runs every half hour, and the Waiheke Island service which runs on the hour. I don’t even live near a ferry wharf, but I’m constantly finding excuses to take the ferry into town — there isn’t a more blissful way to commute.
Two small gripes though. First, Fullers basically hold a monopoly over the ferry business in Auckland, so in the absence of competition they need to watch their prices. Second, they need to make more of an effort to integrate in to the HOP card scheme to make it easier for commuters needing to link to a train (or in future, bus) — the current HOP discount hardly warrants using one.

It’s amazing that in as little as 30 minutes you can be on a beautiful island in our harbour. Each one has something different to offer and Fullers is your ticket there.
The ferries run all the time, are very easy to use and are relatively cheap. We sometimes just pop over to Devonport for lunch and are back before we know it. They also help with traffic, plus who wouldn’t want to start their day out on the water?
They have little cafés on board, the coffee isn’t amazing, but there’s a great selection of wine, beer and cider. If you’re going to Waiheke you should definitely try the Waiheke Cider, it’s locally brewed and tastes amazing.

Being just a recent transplant to Auckland, the whole idea of taking a ferry as a form of transportation is still a real novelty! Many commuters take the services from the North Shore into the city to save on transportation costs and to avoid the traffic coming in over the Harbour Bridge.
It’s a whole different world out on the water, and there’s nothing better than standing out on the deck of the ferry, with the wind in your hair as you come into Auckland city to dock and vice versa. Having family in Devonport, I am a regular fixture on the ferry service and find it so efficient and enjoyable. I mean since when is public transport actually enjoyable I ask you! If you tire of the views up on deck you can head down below, find a sweet window seat, grab a coffee or snack from the little café and just enjoy the ride.

Another perfect day in paradise, compliments of Fullers ferry service. When I board the Fullers ferry to or from Waiheke Island I feel like I’m really going overseas. The 35 minute trip from Auckland’s downtown wharf to Matiatia terminal on the island is just enough time to shed the city life. When on board, grab a refreshment or light snack at the bar and settle in, the harbor views are ever changing with the sailboats, fishing boats and beloved Auckland landmarks like Rangitoto Island and Devonport.