Auckland Ferry Building

The Auckland Ferry Building

The Auckland Ferry Building is the elegant building of the seafront from where the ferries that criss-cross the bay of Auckland depart, with a baroque architecture of Edwardian style of 1912. The Auckland audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this heritage building, a departure point towards the north shore, the west and the islands of the Hauraki gulf, become also a place of shops and restaurants.

The Edwardian maritime station of the seafront

This building is the departure point of the numerous ferries that criss-cross the bay of Auckland each day. These shuttles link the CBD, the town centre where you are, to the north shore and the west of the town, but also to the islands of the Hauraki gulf, that one could not recommend enough to go and explore if one has time ahead: Waiheke and its vineyards, Rangitoto and its volcano, or even Tiritiri Matangi and its rare birds. But beyond its function of maritime station, unmissable for those who want to take the boat, the building displays a remarkable baroque architecture of Edwardian style, that sends us straight back to the era of its construction, in 1912. Erected by the Auckland Harbour Board, it was then conceived as the point of convergence of the vast network of ferries that served the bay, at a time when the boat was the main means of linking the different districts and towns of the coast. With its façade adorned with stone and brick, its turrets and its clock, it testifies to the maritime prosperity of Auckland at the beginning of the twentieth century. Renovated in the 1980s, it today occupies a quite other function, sheltering shops, offices and restaurants, while a modern terminal ensures the ferry traffic just next door. A heritage maritime station and a gateway to the gulf, the Auckland Ferry Building is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

Here you discover the elegant building of the seafront, departure point of the ferries that link the centre to the north shore, the west and the islands of the Hauraki gulf like Waiheke or Rangitoto; with a remarkable baroque architecture of Edwardian style, built in 1912 by the Auckland Harbour Board and renovated in the 1980s, it today shelters shops and restaurants, near the modern terminal. The Auckland Ferry Building is a gateway to the gulf. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Auckland Ferry Building lies on Quay Street, along the seafront of the town centre, reachable on foot. It is a public building sheltering shops and restaurants, from where the ferries depart according to their own hours, variable. For a crossing, it is best to enquire about the departures and destinations. You discover it during a walk on the seafront.

What is the Auckland Ferry Building?

The elegant building of the seafront from where the ferries depart linking the centre to the north shore, the west and the islands of the Hauraki gulf; with a remarkable baroque architecture of Edwardian style, built in 1912 by the Auckland Harbour Board as a point of convergence of the ferry network, renovated in the 1980s, it today shelters shops and restaurants.

Where is the Auckland Ferry Building?

On Quay Street, along the seafront of the town centre of Auckland, in New Zealand.