Explore and Mad Campers Team Up to Bring Daily Ferry Service Between Coromandel and Auckland

A daily ferry will again operate between Coromandel and Auckland this summer.

The popular ferry connection returns for Labour Weekend, with a direct Friday afternoon service and the daily ferries from late November.

Auckland marine tourism operator, Explore Group is bringing back its Auckland– Coromandel ferry from Friday, October 23, ahead of Labour Weekend, running Friday to Monday, with an expanded timetable to follow, including daily services from November 27 through until Easter.

The expanded timetable builds on the return of the ferry in October 2025, when Explore Group reinstated the connection after a three-year absence.

During the height of summer, the move to a daily service will make it easier for Aucklanders to reach the Coromandel without the car, while giving Coromandel residents greater flexibility to travel to and from Auckland.

Explore Group Managing Director, William Goodfellow, says the expanded timetable is about giving travellers more choice and flexibility.

“Moving to a daily timetable this summer gives people far more flexibility in how they use the connection. For Aucklanders, it’s an easy way to enjoy a day trip or longer stay in the Coromandel without taking the car, while for Coromandel residents it provides more options for travelling into Auckland and choosing when they return.”

To make onward travel easier, Explore Group is partnering with Mad Campers to offer a range of land transport options, including a shuttle between Hannaford’s Wharf and Coromandel Town, which is included in the ferry fare.

Mad Campers are providing additional transport options from Coromandel Town, including 50cc scooters, rental cars, local tours and eventually campervans.

CEO Andy Haslett is “excited to be part of this initiative connecting Auckland with Coromandel and allowing those wanting a longer stay to explore more of what the region has to offer.”

Thames-Coromandel Mayor Peter Revell welcomes the ferry’s return.

“Arriving by sea is a pretty special way to begin a visit to our district. We hope visitors will spend time in Coromandel Town, explore further around the peninsula and enjoy everything we have to offer,” he says.

Thames-Coromandel District Council has been working with Explore Group to help bring back the ferry connection. Daily services will depart Auckland’s Viaduct at 9.15am, connecting the Coromandel with Auckland and other destinations across Tīkapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf.

For weekend travellers, an additional direct service will operate every Friday afternoon, departing Auckland at 4.45pm and arriving at Hannaford’s Wharf at 6.45pm. A return service will depart the Coromandel at 7pm on Friday evenings bound for Auckland.