Monday, January 28, 2008

Review - Fullers Car Ferry Opua to Russell

We recently used the Fullers Car Ferry which travels between Opua and Okiato, Russell, Bay of Islands. The ferry is used by 99% of people travelling to the historic township of Russell. While you can avoid the ferry and drive around the peninsula, this is not recommended. The road is of course unsealed the whole way, and normally in pretty bad condition. Extremely bumpy, dusty and uncomfortable. The old road was used for generations by some of the earliest settlers in New Zealand so had a lot of history but only the brave should attempt that drive!

This short ferry trip (approx 10 minutes) cuts out the long drive on the old Russell road around the peninsula which takes about 45 minutes. It is good to get out on the ferry to stretch your legs after a long journey (usually 3 1/2 hours from Auckland for most tourists)

Vessels
The Vessels are purpose built car ferries which carry approx 20 vehicles. They are flat deck with a raised cab on one side. They have sections at the front that raise and lower to let cars and trucks drive on.

Ferry Times
The ferry operates all year round with peak season being summer when a influx of tourists arrive. From each port they leave about every 20 minutes. They run from dawn to around 10pm at night. Fullers usually have 2 vessels on duty who pass each other halfway during the trip, so you never have to wait too long.

Pricing
The ferry ride now costs $10 one way including driver and car. Passengers are still $1 each. This year we noticed a price increase over last year - approx $2.00. But this is understandable given all the petrol price rises over the past year.

Summary
In summary, if you are travelling to Russell in the Bay of Islands I highly recommend using the ferry service. It will save a terrible drive around the unsealed road and $10 is a small price to pay for the speed of arrival. The trip only takes 10 minutes and then you can be enjoying the sites Russell has to offer!

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I can assure you the coast road is beautiful and fully sealed

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Backroad from Paihia to Russell is unsealed. So better not to miss the last car ferry as we did a few years back. - http://www.russellnz.co.nz/getting-here/

Anonymous said...

Thank you