AT weekday timetable to 31 December 2026; no sailings at weekends or on public holidays
Map – Gulf Harbour Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, one way (AT HOP card or contactless) | $13.80 |
| Adult, one way, single-trip paper ticket (cash fare) | $17.50 |
| Child 5-15, one way (registered AT HOP card) | $7.45 |
| Child 5-15, one way, paper ticket | $9.50 |
| Secondary student, one way (AT HOP concession) | $7.45 |
| Tertiary student, one way (AT HOP concession) | $7.45 |
| Community Connect, one way (AT HOP concession) | $6.90 |
| Accessible concession, one way (AT HOP) | $7.45 |
| SuperGold concession on AT HOP, after 9 am on weekdays | Free |
| Child under 5 with a paying passenger | Free |
| Outer Harbour monthly pass (registered AT HOP card) | $400.00 |
Auckland Transport sets the fares, for a single one-way trip to or from central Auckland. Tag on and off with an AT HOP card or a contactless bank card or phone for the $13.80 adult fare, or buy a $17.50 single-trip paper ticket before boarding; AT says its ferry terminals have ticket machines (Te Onewa Northcote Point is the only exception it names), and the Downtown terminal also has the Pier 1 customer service centre. Concession fares need a registered AT HOP card with the concession loaded. No daily or 7-day fare cap applies on this route. The Outer Harbour monthly pass ($400, registered AT HOP only) covers Gulf Harbour ferries plus buses and trains in the zone at either end. SuperGold holders with the concession on AT HOP travel free after 9 am on weekdays; before 9 am the adult fare applies. Children under 5 travel free with a paying passenger. All fares in New Zealand dollars (NZD).
Gulf Harbour sits near the end of the Whangaparāoa Peninsula on the Hibiscus Coast, and this Auckland Transport ferry links its marina terminal with the Downtown Ferry Terminal in the city centre. AT's timetable allows 50 minutes for each trip. In September 2024 RNZ reported that the full schedule had been restored, with Fullers360 as AT's contractor, after a long run of cancellations, reduced timetables and replacement buses.
It is a weekday-only commuter service. Boats sail Monday to Friday, and AT's planner shows no sailings at all on Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays such as Labour Day, Christmas Day and the Mondayised Boxing Day on 28 December. The two directions are not mirror images: 13 departures leave Gulf Harbour, clustered in a 6:30 to 8:30 am run towards the city and a group between 5:45 and 7:45 pm, while 11 leave Downtown, where the evening wave for home starts at 4:45 pm. A few midday trips each way make a daytime visit to the city possible, with the last boat home leaving Downtown at 8:45 pm.
AT sets a higher fare on this route than on the inner-harbour routes: $13.80 one way for an adult tagging on with AT HOP or a contactless card or phone, or $17.50 for a paper ticket. Unlike Devonport or Birkenhead, no daily or weekly fare cap applies here, so regular commuters are pointed to AT's Outer Harbour monthly pass at $400, which also covers buses and trains in the zones at either end of the trip. SuperGold card holders with the concession on AT HOP travel free after 9 am. Because there is no weekend boat, visitors planning a Saturday or Sunday trip need AT's Journey Planner for bus options instead.
- 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.