Because there’s no bridge across the Hokianga Harbour you will have to take the Hokianga car ferry, which sails between Kohukohu and Rawene about once an hour between 7.45am and 8pm (the last sailing from Rawene is at 7.30pm). The crossing takes around 15 minutes and the one-way fare costs $20 per car, $2 for foot passenger and $5 for a motorcycle.
Hokianga car ferry
The Hub Transport Centre
InterCity Coachlines and ManaBus services stop in Whangarei en route between Auckland and the Bay of Islands.
Buses and coaches stop at The Hub Transport Centre in the Town Basin at 91 Dent Street. The Hub also has a tourist information centre and is convenient to Whangarei’s main attractions including Clapham’s National Clock Museum and Whangarei Art Museum.
Kennedy Point ferry terminal
Sealink operate ferries between Auckland and Waiheke, but they depart from suburban Half Moon Bay rather than the downtown ferry terminal. The Sealink ferry costs 20 one-way or $36.50 return.
Kennedy Point is the least conveniently-located of Waiheke Island’s two ferry terminals, as this ferry terminal is not served by any local bus services. It is located on the south-western end of the island, but it is an isolated location with facilities nearby.
Matiatia Wharf ferry terminal
Matiatia Wharf ferry terminal at the western end of the island is the most popular entry point to Waiheke Island.
Ferry services operated by Fullers operate every half hour to the Auckland ferry terminal on Quay Street and there are also less frequent ferries linking Matiatia Wharf with Devonport. The Fullers ferry service between Auckland and Matiatia costs $22 one-way or $36 return.
Matiatia Wharf has the best public transport connections of Waiheke Island’s two ferry ports. It is the terminus for all of the island’s bus routes and several rental car companies maintain offices at the wharf.
Britomart Transport Centre
Britomart Transport Centre is the underground terminus for Auckland’s suburban rail network. The station has railway services on all suburban lines including trains to Onehunga, Manukau, Papakura and Swanson. Although most visitors to Auckland don’t use the rail network as it doesn’t go to the main tourist sites, some people find it handy to travel to the shopping areas at Newmarket and Sylvia Park as well as Onehunga or Papatoetoe where you can get connecting bus services to the airport (a cheaper alternative to the express airport bus).
The station is located at the downtown end of Queen Street, near the ferry terminal.
Britomart only handles suburban rail services. The long-distance Northern Explorer train to Wellington departs from Auckland Strand Station.
Auckland International Airport (AKL)
Auckland International Airport is New Zealand’s busiest airport and is the main arrival point for most visitors to the country.
There is a free shuttle bus service between the international terminal and the two domestic terminals, which operates 6am–10.30pm; alternately it is about a 10-minute walk between the two terminals.
The quickest way to travel between the airport and downtown Auckland is on the SkyBus, which runs 24 hours per day. The SkyBus leaves from 396 Queen Street in the city centre, although there is also a shuttle bus that connects the Auckland city SkyBus terminal with hotels and hostels in the city centre (although the shuttle bus only runs Mon–Fri noon–7pm). The SkyBus costs $18 one-way or $32 return.
A cheaper option is to take a train to either Onehunga or Papatoetoe and then hop on bus route 380. Bus 31 also runs between Papatoetoe station and the airport. This option will take considerably longer than the SkyBus, but is much cheaper at $9–10.50 (or $4.85 if you pay using an AT Hop card). The trip between the airport and the city centre crosses three fare zones.
Bluff Maritime Museum
This small maritime museum has exhibits on shipwrecks, whaling and the oyster trade, for which Bluff is famous. The museum’s biggest attraction is the oystering boat Monica.
Southland Museum & Art Gallery
The Southland Museum & Art Gallery is an excellent museum that has exhibits on New Zealand’s remote islands near the Antarctic plus displays on the tuatara-breeding programme.
Hokonui Moonshine Museum
The Hokonui Moonshine Museum is a small museum inside the Hokonui Heritage Centre that has a variety of displays about the region’s local history, however the main focus of the museum is Hokonui Moonshine – an illicit whiskey that was produced in the surrounding hills during prohibition times.
Gore Historical Museum
The Gore Historical Museum is a small museum inside the Hokonui Heritage Centre complex that has displays on the region’s social history including exhibits on Southland’s early settlers and trout fishing.