Ferry Boats

Boats have always been used to take things or people from one place to another by water. Boats that take mainly people, and only for short distances, are called ferries. In Auckland, you can catch a ferry from Pakuranga to the city, or from the city out to the main islands in the Hauraki Gulf, such as Waiheke and Great Barrier Island.

This boat is a catamaran, which means it has two hulls. The company that runs it is called Fullers. It takes people out to Great Barrier Island, a trip that takes only a few hours. If you were going out there on a holiday, this is the way you would go, unless you flew on a small plane.

 

How would you get across a river or across to an island if you wanted to take your car? That's easy! Take a car ferry. You can get a car ferry from Half Moon Bay in Pakuranga, and take it across to Waiheke.

This photo is of a smaller ferry taking cars across a river in Australia, where there is no bridge. The cars drive on to one end of the boat with a sloping ramp, and then drive off a ramp at the other end when they get to the other side.

Have a look at this timetable, and see if you can work out how to get to Half Moon Bay. What book will you use from the library to help you? And then see if you can work out how much it would cost to take your family to Waiheke for the day on the ferry.