‘Tis the season to adventure and relax!
Our Waiheke ferries and buses are moving high volumes of passengers pre-Christmas, and the wharves are bustling with local and international travellers, all who are making the most of warmer weather. It’s a great feeling to see Auckland humming, and we hope you will join us on board our Fullers360 ferry services for a trip to your favourite Hauraki Gulf destination soon.
To help you plan for a busy holiday season, we are sharing some travel tips, as well as our public holiday ferry timetables for the upcoming Christmas and New Year period.
Timetable adjustments
There are some timetable adjustments which impact the Waiheke Walk-up ferry service. On Christmas Day, hourly sailings will run throughout the day from 7am-6pm ex Auckland and from 8am-8pm ex Waiheke with frequency reducing into the evening after these key travel times.
On New Years Eve, we have catered for an extra post-midnight service both to Waiheke and off island to Auckland, please ensure you pre-plan your travel and accommodation arrangements as these services will be busy over the New Year travel period
View our timetables below
Arrive early and travel off peak
Throughout this period, choosing to travel during peak times may result in longer than usual wait times on the Waiheke Walk-up service. Specifically, for travel between 10am and 12pm heading to Waiheke, and between 3pm and 6pm returning to downtown Auckland.
Our services will be very busy during these times, we recommend arriving at your pier 45 minutes to one hour prior to the scheduled Waiheke Walk-up ferry departure time for the best possible chance of boarding your chosen sailing. We will have high timetable frequency and large format 300-400 seat ferries on our routes where possible during these busy travel periods.
Reserve your travel to Waiheke Island
Our Waiheke Reserve ferry is a great option for those with fixed travel plans over this busy holiday period and for avoiding the busy queues.
The Waiheke Reserve ferry will be operating throughout the holiday period (except Christmas Day). Prebook your seat onboard and choose from 9am, 10:15am or 11am sailings from Piers 13 and 14 departing the Auckland Ferry Terminal and 4:30pm or 5:15pm sailings departing from Pier 3 in Matiatia.
If you’re staying for an extended period, you can book your return sailing for up to three weeks from your date of departure. Waiheke Reserve tickets are also automatically valid for all return Waiheke Walk-up services, if your plans change on the day.
Use the Fullers360 app
Book, scan, travel – easy! On the new Fullers360 app you can easily book and access tickets, plus refine your destination preferences to receive our travel alerts so that you’re up to date with any unforeseen changes to services. Download the new Fullers360 app and learn more here: Fullers360 App | Fullers360
Explore more of Waiheke for less
We’ve launched on-island ticketing for our Eastern Explorer Bus. This means that you now have another affordable way to get from one side of the island to the other. Travel is easy with an on-island ticket to Waiheke’s eastern end – perfect for summer celebrations.
Board at Matiatia terminal, Oneroa or Onetangi – buses run on a 30-minute timetable and can be tracked for your convenience here: Waiheke Eastern Hop-On Hop-Off Explorer - Bus tracking
When you travel with us, you can rest assured that we aim to get you to where you need to go, and safety is our highest priority. Our team haven’t stopped training, and we have recruited our largest ever summer crew intake to support operations over the busy peak season.
Check out our summer travel tips page for more stress-free travel ideas and remember to be kind, patient and respectful to our hard-working summer staff who are getting you where you need to be. Your courtesy helps us maintain a positive environment – thank you for your cooperation.
We hope that you enjoy your adventures across the Hauraki Gulf over the holidays - our team wish you a relaxing break.
See you on the water!
Holiday season timetables
