What the Waiheke ferry costs, fare by fare
There is no cheaper day. There is a cheaper time.
Two of the most common questions people type about this ferry ask which day is cheapest. The premise is wrong, and I think that is worth saying bluntly rather than dancing around: Fullers360’s fares do not vary by day of the week. They vary by time of day, and the saving is real. The on-peak adult return is NZ$62. The off-peak adult return is NZ$46.50. That is NZ$15.50 back in your pocket for sailing later.
Off-peak means departing Auckland from 1pm, and departing Waiheke from 7pm. It is sold as a return only, so there is no off-peak one-way to be clever with. Which sailings fall either side of that line is a timetable question, and the timetable is seasonal — the shape of the day and the busy windows are in the timetable and frequency page.
Here is the part the fare comparison does not tell you. One reviewer on the most-booked product writes: “I HIGHLY recommend getting an early ferry so you have time to get off the hop on/hop off tour bus and explore” (Kiana). She is right and so is the fare table. The off-peak return saves NZ$15.50 and costs you the morning. On a day trip that is a real trade, not a free win.
Every Fullers360 fare I could verify
| Fare | One way | Return |
|---|---|---|
| Adult, on-peak | NZ$31 | NZ$62 |
| Adult, off-peak (from 1pm) | Not sold | NZ$46.50 |
| Child 5–15, on-peak | NZ$14 | NZ$28 |
| Child 5–15, off-peak | Not sold | NZ$21 |
| Under 5 | Free | Free |
| Family, 2 adults + 2 children, on-peak | — | NZ$132 |
| Family, 2 adults + 2 children, off-peak | — | NZ$99 |
| Waiheke Reserve, pre-booked premium | NZ$58 | NZ$99 |
Two things in that table are worth a second look. The family off-peak return at NZ$99 is NZ$33 under the on-peak one, which is the largest single saving on this page and it comes from sailing after lunch with children who were probably going to nap anyway. And Waiheke Reserve costs the same for a child as for an adult, so two adults and two children pay four lots of NZ$99 return against NZ$132 on the ordinary on-peak family fare. It is a pre-booked premium product, not a walk-up upgrade.
Island Direct, the operator most guides leave out
There is a second passenger ferry running to Waiheke and almost nothing written for visitors mentions it. Island Direct launched in November 2023 and charges NZ$29.50 one way and NZ$59 return for an adult, NZ$13.50 and NZ$27 for a child. Against Fullers360’s NZ$31 and NZ$62, it is cheaper on the headline fare. It is not cheaper than the NZ$46.50 off-peak return, so the ranking depends entirely on what time you want to sail.
If you think a second operator sounds like a rumour, one of the wine-tour operators on this site says so itself: its own meeting instructions tell you to either take the 10am walk-up sailing and arrive an hour early, or book Island Direct. That is a competitor recommending a competitor in its own booking notes. Do not confuse Island Direct with Explore Group, which ran a Waiheke passenger service years ago and now runs a separate boutique service to one vineyard.
The ferry and the Explorer bus: NZ$99 together
The operator’s combined return ferry and hop-on hop-off bus pass is NZ$99 for an adult, NZ$51 for a child and NZ$209 for a family. The bus on its own is NZ$59.50. Do that subtraction and the combo prices the return crossing at NZ$39.50, which is under the off-peak fare and well under the on-peak one. If you were going to ride that bus anyway, the bundle is the cheapest way to cross that I have found. Whether you want the bus at all is a separate question, and I have been honest about it on the Explorer bus page.
Tour prices, and the crossing that is not in them
The ferry ticket sold through GetYourGuide is NZ$62, which is precisely the operator’s own on-peak adult return. One reviewer says it was “much cheaper than booking directly with the company” (Michelle). My own check says otherwise: same fare, no markup. I mention it because the assumption that a reseller must be cheaper is very common and takes about ninety seconds to test.
The tours are where the arithmetic gets interesting, because three of them start at Matiatia and price the crossing out.
| From Auckland: Waiheke Island Return Fast Ferry Ticket | Top pickWaiheke Island: Ferry & Hop-On Hop-Off Explorer Bus Tickets | Waiheke Island Gourmet Food and Wine Tour with Lunch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sticker price | NZ$62 | NZ$99 | NZ$315 |
| Ferry included? | It is the ferry | Yes — return | No |
| Real all-in cost | NZ$62 (NZ$46.50 off-peak, direct) | NZ$99 | NZ$361.50–377 |
| Cheaper off-peak? | Yes, NZ$46.50 | No off-peak version found | No — 9am start |
| What you get | The crossing, valid a month | Crossing + 16-stop bus pass | Two vineyards, oysters, lunch |
| Rating | 4.7 · 1,196 | 4.6 · 3,774 | 4.9 · 303 |
| View → | Book this → | View → |
I could not find an off-peak version of the ferry-and-bus combo, and I am not going to guess at one. If that matters to your day, ask the operator before you buy.
Every fare on this page was read on 12 August 2026. Fullers360 revised its fares on 16 February 2026 and they have moved since, so confirm the current price on the operator’s own site before you travel. I update this page when I catch a change, not the moment one happens.
What the fares do not cover is what you spend once you are off the boat. If the plan involves vineyards, the guided days run from NZ$185 to NZ$315 and two of them add the crossing on top — the full ladder is here.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest day to go on the Waiheke ferry?
There isn’t one. Fullers360’s fares do not vary by day of the week — a Tuesday costs what a Sunday costs. They vary by time of day. The off-peak adult return is NZ$46.50 against NZ$62 on-peak, and off-peak means leaving Auckland from 1pm and leaving Waiheke from 7pm. Fares checked 12 August 2026; confirm before you travel.
How much is the ferry to Waiheke Island?
Adult return NZ$62 on-peak or NZ$46.50 off-peak; adult one way NZ$31. Child 5–15 is NZ$14 one way, NZ$28 return, or NZ$21 off-peak return. Under 5 travels free. A family of two adults and two children pays NZ$132 on-peak or NZ$99 off-peak. Island Direct, the second operator, charges NZ$29.50 one way and NZ$59 return.
Are there discounts on Waiheke ferry tickets?
The real ones are the off-peak return, the family return and the child fares, all listed above. Buying the return rather than two singles is also cheaper on both operators. I could not find evidence that an AT HOP card beats a paper or online ticket on a single trip — the HOP discount I could verify applies to a monthly pass, which is not what a day visitor is buying.
Is the ferry cheaper if I book online in advance?
No. Pre-booking is not required and the operator’s own wording is that buying online saves time but does not secure you a spot on walk-up services. The saving is in the sailing time, not the booking channel. More on that in whether you need to book the Waiheke ferry.
Is the off-peak fare worth taking?
It saves NZ$15.50 an adult and costs you the morning, because it only applies from 1pm out of Auckland. For a family it saves NZ$33, which is harder to argue with. If you are trying to fit a vineyard, a beach and a village into one visit, read how long you actually need on Waiheke before you chase the cheaper fare.