Port Auckland NZ’s new AUD 42 million ferry terminal (on Queen’s Wharf) will open shortly.
A total of 6 new ferry berths connect to covered ramps and passenger areas more similar to an airport terminal. The facility has been constructed ready to accommodate the charging infrastructure for future electric ferries.
Gareth Willis, Auckland Transport’s ferry services manager described it as ferry’s “Britomart moment”, referring to a nearby downtown rail terminal that opened in 2003 as part of the commuter rail revival.
The new downtown ferry terminal has been designed for growth over the coming decades. When it opens on July 5, 2021, it is expected to handle only a fraction of its capacity of several thousand travellers per hour.
Commuter services using piers between Queen's and Prince's wharves, serving destinations like West Harbour, Pine Harbour, Gulf Harbour, and Hobsonville Point, will shift to the new ferry terminal.
According to Willis, it is the biggest investment in ferry facilities since the building of Edwardian Auckland Ferry Terminal back in 1912.