Passenger Ships

in Wellington there is a local ferry crossing Wellington Harbour several times each day. It provides a service for commuter and allows visitors to set foot on Somes Island in the middle of the Harbour.

Days Bay on the Eastern side of the Harbour is a tranquil seaside suburb and part of Lower Hutt City.

On occasions the harbour crossing can become very rough, but the little ferry masters many conditions having previously worked as City Cat in the Hauraki Gulf.

The larger ferries in the Hauraki Gulf are operated by Fuller Ferries.

The Jet Raider operates mainly between Auckland City and Great Barrier Island, but now and then also slips into the Waiheke commuter service. These ferries carry both passengers and smaller freight consignments. The Jet Raider lies alongside Pier 3 of the Auckland City Ferry Terminal, one summer morning. In the background is Princess Wharf, where fashionable flats have newly been built on the waterfront.

But not just local ferries can be observed in Auckland. In May 2003 a fast ferry was on its way from Hobart, Australia, to Italy.

From Tasmania, the ferry made its way across the Tasman Sea to Auckland, where it took on bunker and provisions for the long haul to Panama. After passing through the Panama Canal it would then make its way through the Carribic to the Mediterranean.