Which day is it? That is the first thing to ask about the Rakino ferry, because the boat from Auckland's Pier 6 does not run every day: Wednesday mornings, Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons are the backbone, and extra sailings are pinned to particular dates. Belaire Ferries runs it for Auckland Transport, and it is the one AT ferry your HOP card will not pay for.
Dates from 30 September to 31 December 2026, where Belaire's timetable and Auckland Transport's schedule data agree; checked 29 September 2026 Belaire Ferries – Rakino Island timetable · 2026-09-29
Belaire Ferries sails from Downtown Pier 6 to Rākino on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, adding boats only on particular dates: some Friday mornings, Labour Weekend and the days after Christmas. Its timetable is a list of dates, not a weekly pattern.
The Wednesday 10:35 is a supply run: out at 11:20, gone again at 11:30. The Friday 18:50 and the Sunday 15:35 frame a weekend. A day trip only works on the handful of dates with two sailings.
Rākino is the one AT ferry without HOP: tickets are sold on board, $45 one way or $75 return for an adult.
The Rakino run is sold as a cash-fare service: tickets are bought on board with cash, EFTPOS, Visa or Mastercard, and Auckland Transport says AT HOP is not accepted. Contactless tap-to-pay is not taken either, and the usual AT concessions fall away: no free weekend travel for children and no SuperGold discount, so seniors pay the adult fare.
Only children aged 5 to 15 and secondary students get the lower rate; students 16 or over must show ID, and under-5s travel free. Belaire is silent on GST.
| Adult, one way | $ 45 |
| Adult, return | $ 75 |
| Child 5–15 or secondary student, one way | $ 28 |
| Child 5–15 or secondary student, return | $ 40 |
| Family one-way pass (up to 4 people, max 2 adults) | $ 105 |
| Adult, 10 trips | $ 335 |
| Child or secondary student, 10 trips | $ 185 |
| Bayswater surcharge, per person | $ 5 |
| Additional luggage, per item | $ 12 |
| Delivery ticket (out and straight back on the same boat) | $ 25 |
Fares published by Belaire Ferries, read 29 September 2026 Belaire Ferries – Rakino Island fares · 2026-09-29
From Pier 6 the ferry heads out of the Waitematā Harbour and north-east into the Hauraki Gulf to Rākino, a small island off the northern end of Waiheke. Most sailings are direct; on marked dates the boat starts or finishes at Bayswater Marina on the North Shore, terminal at 17 Sir Peter Blake Parade. The Stanley Bay stop used in the past has been dropped, and there is no connection with the Hobsonville service Belaire also runs.
Pier 6 is about five minutes' walk past the main Ferry Building on Queens Wharf; Belaire asks passengers to arrive 15 to 20 minutes before departure to load luggage and buy tickets. A permanent shoe-cleaning brush on Queens Wharf serves the biosecurity check. Short drop-offs can use the space beside the Ferry Building; for a weekend the Downtown car park, entered from the corner of Lower Hobson and Customs streets, has a weekend rate for cars in after 3.30pm on Friday and out before 8am on Monday.
The ferry uses the public wharf at Sandy Bay on the island's south-western tip. Vehicles can drive onto the wharf to meet the boat, space permitting, and there is some street parking on South Pacific Road. Belaire notes the wharf is not wheelchair accessible, so ring 09 416 6344 first if that matters.
Rākino has been pest-free since 2002. Brush soil off footwear and tents, keep bags zipped, pack food in sealed containers and check gear for rats, mice, Argentine ants and plague skinks. Untreated kauri may not be taken into the Gulf.
The allowance is a 7 kg carry-on and a medium suitcase up to 23 kg, no side longer than 1.5 m. Extra items cost $12 each. Furniture, whiteware, building materials, large solar panels, large batteries, generators and lawnmowers are not carried: use a freight barge.
Unlike most pest-free Gulf islands, Rākino allows dogs and cats; cats travel in a carrier.
Weather can postpone a sailing. Text RAKINO to 3282 to get Belaire's service alerts, or watch the AT Mobile app.
You cannot reserve a seat. On busy days Belaire brings a bigger boat, and if that fills, it sends the ferry back for the rest.
Why check two timetables? Belaire's dated tables and Auckland Transport's schedule data match for every sailing from 30 September to 23 December and for 26 to 28 December. Around Christmas they part company: Belaire shows boats on 24 and 29 December and afternoon sailings on 30 and 31 December that AT's data leaves out, and its January tables go beyond the period AT's data covers. We have left those dates off the table rather than guess.
Is Belaire the only boat? For passengers on a timetable, yes. SeaLink sends a vehicle and freight ferry from Half Moon Bay about once a month over summer, mainly for residents, with sailings listed for 31 October, 28 November and 1 December; it is booked by phone.
No: Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, plus extra boats on particular dates. Check the date, not the weekday.
Neither is accepted. Buy your ticket on board with cash, EFTPOS, Visa or Mastercard.
$45 one way or $75 return for an adult, and $28 one way or $40 return for a child aged 5 to 15 or a secondary student. A family one-way pass for up to four people, no more than two of them adults, is $105.
Only on dates with two sailings. On the Fridays with both a 10:35 and an 18:50 you can arrive at 11:20 and leave at 19:45; on 26 October and on 26 to 28 December you can arrive at 11:20 and leave at 16:30.
No. Arrive at Pier 6 15 to 20 minutes early; if the boat is full, Belaire says it will come back for those left on the wharf.
Yes. On board, dogs outside a carrier stay on the back deck on a short lead, and the skipper can ask for a muzzle.
Some do. On marked dates the ferry starts at Bayswater at 10:15 or 15:15, or finishes there at 12:35 or 17:35, for a $5 surcharge per person.