LOW WASH FERRY DEVELOPMENT
PINE HARBOUR LEADS IN BY KEITH INGRAM
T
he first of the new-generation 99-passenger Clipper class fast passenger ferries entering service with Auckland's Pine Harbour ferry service is a testament to Auckland's need for a network of small, low-wash fast ferries to link our coastal suburbs with downtown.
Pine Harbour Marina opened in May 1988 on Auckland's Pohutukawa Coast – an eastern coastal area nestled in a secluded cove near the small coastal township of Beachlands.
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The ferry service operates from the 570-berth world class marina itself is largely self-contained and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is only a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Auckland. The marina has developed into a very fashionable marine precinct, with a fast-growing middle-class residential community adjacent.
In 2003, in response to growth in the Beachlands/Maraetai community, Pine Harbour established a regular weekday commuter ferry service to downtown Auckland. Continued steady growth means Pine Harbour now has a fleet of three modern, efficient ferries. They make a minimum of 14 trips per weekday to Auckland's CBD, plus weekend trips to Waiheke Island and other charter work.
When the service first started with the original, smaller Clipper I, the ferry carried a modest 90 passengers a day. Since those early days, eight years ago, the company has experienced exponential growth of 20 percent a year. Currently the fleet carries approximately 130,000 passengers to Auckland per annum.
Pine Harbour Ferries now operates a contracted service between the marina and the downtown ferry landings utilising the three modern, 15m high-speed catamarans that can transport up to 49 passengers at a time.
Due to the continued growth and thinking ahead, the company made a commitment to build a new additional ferry for the
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