SeaLink sailings loaded to 2 May 2027: Tuesday to Friday shown; weekends, Mondays, holidays and one-off changes switch automatically
Map – Great Barrier Island Ferry (Auckland)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult passenger, one way (typical sailing from 20 October 2026; varies by sailing; fuel surcharge added at booking) | $105.00 |
| Senior (SuperGold card), one way, typical sailing | $97.50 |
| Student, one way, typical sailing | $91.50 |
| Child 5-15, one way, typical sailing | $77.50 |
| Infant under 5 | Free |
| Vehicle with driver, one way: lowest seen from 20 October 2026 (up to $583 on peak sailings) | $471.00 |
| Motorbike with rider, one way (from 20 October 2026) | $214.00 |
| Dog on the outside deck | Free |
One-way fares per sailing as priced in SeaLink's schedule tool on 29 September 2026. SeaLink prices each sailing separately: adult fares seen between 30 September 2026 and 2 May 2027 ranged from $102.50 to $121.50, with $105 the most common from 20 October 2026, and busy summer and holiday sailings cost more. SeaLink adds a temporary fuel surcharge per trip (11.2% from 21 September 2026, reviewed fortnightly), applied and itemised when you book; the schedule tool does not say whether its prices include it, so budget for it on top of the listed fare. Child fares are for ages 5 to 15; under-5s travel free. The senior fare is for SuperGold card holders. Groups of more than 10 travelling together get 10% off standard fares, Aotea residents can register for resident fares, and multi-trip passes are sold at the Hamer St terminal. Dogs travel free. All fares in New Zealand dollars (NZD).
SeaLink runs the scheduled ferry between Auckland and Aotea Great Barrier Island; Fullers360, the other big Hauraki Gulf operator, lists only Waiheke, Rangitoto and the city among its destinations. The regular boat is Island Navigator, a 37.9-metre catamaran that carries cars, freight and up to 195 passengers at about 12 knots, with a licensed café and bar on board. It leaves from SeaLink's own terminal at 56 Hamer Street in the Wynyard Quarter, not from the downtown ferry piers, and SeaLink puts the trip at four and a half to five hours.
Most sailings end at Tryphena, SeaLink's main island wharf at 4 Shoal Bay Road in the south. On Wednesdays the boat usually heads instead to Port Fitzroy at the northern end, where the general store near the wharf sells tickets; Whangaparapara on the west coast is used for fuel runs and as a fallback when the other wharves are unsuitable. The boat turns round at the island: it arrives around midday or half past, and the same vessel heads back to Auckland at 2 pm.
There is no printed timetable any more. SeaLink retired its timetable page and now shows sailings only through its date-by-date schedule tool, which on 29 September 2026 held departures up to 2 May 2027. In that data the island gets four sailings a week in early spring, five from late October, six once Saturday boats begin on 21 November, and extra Monday boats on public holidays. Christmas Day has none.
Fares are not fixed. The tool prices every sailing separately, and SeaLink has added a temporary fuel surcharge to bookings since 1 May 2026, reviewed every fortnight. Vehicle space must be booked; foot passengers are advised to book because some sailings cap passenger numbers. Check in 60 minutes before departure with a vehicle; boarding closes 20 minutes before for vehicles and 15 minutes before for walk-on passengers.
Plan for the island itself too. SeaLink notes there is no public transport, no bank or ATM, patchy mobile coverage and limited fuel, and that island roads are narrow, winding and sometimes unsealed. Dogs travel free on the outside decks, but Department of Conservation land is off limits to them.
- Be at the wharf a few minutes before departure; vehicle loading usually closes earlier than walk-on boarding.
- Check the operator's service updates on the day — wind, swell and tide cancel or shift sailings, especially on exposed routes.
- Check which card or ticket the route takes: Auckland Transport's AT HOP works on some ferries and not on privately run ones.