The hop on and hop off bus is convenient and the hosts/drivers are friendly and helpful. This was a wonderful day trip from Auckland!

I highly recommend not prepurchasing the tickets for the day and actually turning up on time. Because you may miss your ferry anyway since this service is mismanaged and inefficient. We came 15mins before time, as recommended for the 9am ferry and apparently it reached its capacity and we have to wait in queue for the next ferry at 10am. The company sells tickets for the day not knowing how many people will turn up at what time and are just Happy to take the money hostage since folks will be stuck with them until the next ferry timing. No backup or planning for peak periods. There was another Island Direct ferry to waiheke at 9.15am but we couldn't try that since we already had the fillers ferry for the day. And the staff told us if we leave the queue at 9am and come back after 15mins, we may be at risk of missing the 10am queue as well. So folks are expected to queue for an hour? Why is this not given as a guidance???? This was a Monday . I shudder to think how difficult it would have been for folks on a Sunday during holidays. What a scam. I'm surprised by how inefficient service can be in a first world developed country. I will not recommend at all. Better to just turn up on a day with sunny forecast and find a ferry with a company with seat guaranteed