AT timetable for route HMB, Monday to Thursday shown; Friday, Saturday, Sunday and loaded public holidays switch automatically
Map – Half Moon Bay Ferry (Downtown)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, one way, AT HOP card or contactless | $10.40 |
| Adult, one way, paper ticket (cash fare) | $15.00 |
| Child 5-15, one way, AT HOP card (weekdays) | $6.24 |
| Child 5-15, one way, paper ticket | $8.50 |
| Secondary student, one way, AT HOP card | $6.24 |
| Tertiary student, one way, AT HOP card | $6.24 |
| Community Connect, one way, AT HOP card | $5.20 |
| Accessible concession, one way, AT HOP card | $6.24 |
| Child under 5 with a paying passenger | Free |
| Mid-harbour monthly pass (registered AT HOP card) | $310.00 |
Half Moon Bay is in AT's mid-harbour ferry fare group, and every fare is for one journey in one direction to or from central Auckland. The cheaper price applies when you tag on and off with an AT HOP card or a contactless Visa, Mastercard or phone wallet; without either, buy a paper single ticket from a terminal ticket machine before boarding (the cash price). These fares took effect on 1 February 2026 and are shown on AT's ferry fares page. Fare caps (the $50 7-day AT HOP cap and the $20 daily contactless cap) do not apply to this route. Concession prices need a registered AT HOP card with the concession loaded. Children under 5 travel free with a paying passenger; children 5 to 15 travel free at weekends and on public holidays with a registered AT HOP card; SuperGold concession holders on AT HOP travel free after 9 am on weekdays and all day at weekends and on public holidays. A mid-harbour monthly pass on a registered AT HOP card costs $310. All fares in New Zealand dollars (NZD).
Route HMB is the Auckland Transport passenger ferry between Pier 5 of the Downtown Ferry Terminal on Quay Street and the Half Moon Bay ferry terminal on Ara Tai, in east Auckland near Howick and Bucklands Beach. It is part of AT's public transport network, so it is timetabled, priced and paid for like a bus or train: you tag on with an AT HOP card or a contactless bank card or phone, and nothing is booked in advance. The timetable gives 38 minutes for the trip in either direction.
The timetable is built around commuters. From Monday to Thursday the first boat leaves Half Moon Bay at 6:50 am and there are 14 departures towards the city, the last at 8:55 pm. The last boat home leaves Downtown at 8:10 pm, except on Fridays, when AT adds departures from the city at 9:40 pm and 11:45 pm and from Half Moon Bay at 10:25 pm and 12:30 am. At weekends the service drops to five sailings each way, plus an extra late round trip on Saturday night; Sunday's timetable also covers public holidays.
Half Moon Bay sits in AT's mid-harbour fare group with West Harbour, Beach Haven and Hobsonville Point. An adult pays $10.40 with AT HOP or contactless, against $15 for a paper ticket from a machine. AT's own figures put the AT HOP saving at 25% or more on ferries. The 7-day and daily fare caps that cover inner-harbour ferries do not apply here, so regular riders usually compare the $310 mid-harbour monthly pass, which also includes buses and trains in the zones at each end of the ferry trip.
AT lists free park-and-sail parking at Half Moon Bay, and buses 734 and 735 connect the terminal with Highland Park, Botany and Howick. Bikes go free on most AT ferries when there is space; e-bikes and e-scooters must stay on the back deck.
Half Moon Bay is also the east Auckland terminal for SeaLink's vehicle ferry to Kennedy Point on Waiheke Island. That is a separate, booked service with its own fares, and AT HOP fares on route HMB do not cover it.
- 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.