Fullers Group Limited, trading as Fullers360, is a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

and tourism company in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It operates in the

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

. Fullers Group is the latest in a long line of almost continuous harbour and gulf ferry operations based in Auckland since the 1870s.

History

George Hudson, and his son, Douglas, conceived an idea for an improved ferry operator to replace the neglected Auckland ferry services during a sailing trip on Waitematā Harbour in 1981. By the end of that year, the Hudson family acquired North Shore Ferries (from Leo Dromgoole), another ferry company in Auckland and renaming it the Devonport Steam Ferry Group (which Gulf Ferries Ltd was a part of) (To celebrate the name of the company founded by Ewen W.Allison nearly 100 years before). However, the difficulties and hardships of rejuvenating a failing fleet became apparent almost immediately, as within six weeks of the takeover, every vessel was out of service, except for the Glen Rosa, a small

Launch (boat) Launch is a name given to several different types of boat. The wide range of usage of the name extends from utilitarian craft through to pleasure boats built to a very high standard. In naval use, the launch was introduced as a ship's boat ...

. The transition to a modern operation began in 1987 with the arrival of the Quickcat, Gulf Ferries' first catamaran, creating a faster, more efficient ferry service to

Waiheke Island Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most populated island ...

and other destinations. This was continued with the

Kea The kea ( ; ; ''Nestor notabilis'') is a species of large parrot in the Family (biology), family Strigopidae that is endemic to the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand. About long, it is mostly olive-green, with br ...

(Built by WECO in

Whangārei Whangārei () is the northernmost city in New Zealand and the largest settlement of the Northland Region. It is part of the Whangarei District, created in 1989 from the former Whangarei City, Whangarei County and Hikurangi Town councils to admi ...

) being introduced in 1988 to operate the Auckland City to Devonport service. For the tourism services, two new

catamaran A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a watercraft with two parallel hull (watercraft), hulls of equal size. The wide distance between a catamaran's hulls imparts stability through resistance to rolling and overturning; no ballast is requi ...

ferries from World Heritage Cruises, ''Adventurer'' and ''Wanderer'', were purchased in 2006 and 2007 for NZ$3 million and NZ$2 million respectively. These vessels will also assist on the company's main ferry routes during peak hours. In 1988, South Pacific Travel Holdings Ltd became shareholders before the publicly listed Fullers Corporation Ltd went into receivership. Recognizing the value of the "Fullers" brand, the company amalgamated its operations and changed its name to Fullers Group Limited. Stagecoach New Zealand became the major shareholder of Fullers Group Limited but kept George Hudson as chairman until 2007 where his son, Douglas Hudson became the CEO until 2017 when Mike Horne took over the position. In 2009, Brian Souter acquired the company as well as another ferry company, 360 Discovery Limited. Both are now part of the InMotion Group. In 2018 Fullers and 360 Discovery decided to merge brands to become a more cohesive and consumer-friendly ferry operator creating Fullers360.

Services

Fullers Group runs ferries from the Auckland Ferry Terminal in

Quay Street Quay Street is a street in Manchester city centre in Greater Manchester, England. The street, designated the A34, continues Peter Street westwards towards the River Irwell and Salford. It is the northern boundary of Spinningfields, the cit ...

, Downtown Auckland under the Fullers360 branding. Fullers360 operates to: Auckland suburbs of: * Devonport * Beach Haven *

Half Moon Bay Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Immediately north of Half Mo ...

near the eastern suburb of Howick * Hobsonville Point * Gulf Harbour

Hauraki Gulf The Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana is a coastal feature of the North Island of New Zealand. It has an area of 4000 km2,Waiheke Island Waiheke Island is the second-largest island (after Great Barrier Island) in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand. Its ferry terminal in Matiatia Bay at the western end is from the central-city terminal in Auckland. It is the most populated island ...

Rangitoto Island Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone capped by central scoria cones, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the appr ...

Fullers360 previously operated services to: *

Bayswater Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

* Northcote *

Motutapu Island Motutapu Island is a island in the Hauraki Gulf to the northeast of the city of Auckland, New Zealand. The island is part of the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. The island can be accessed via regular ferry services departing from Auckland City. ...

* Rotoroa Island *

Coromandel Peninsula The Coromandel Peninsula () on the North Island of New Zealand extends north from the western end of the Bay of Plenty, forming a natural barrier protecting the Hauraki Gulf and the Firth of Thames in the west from the Pacific Ocean ...

Great Barrier Island Great Barrier Island () lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest List of islands of New Zealand, island of New Zealand. Its highest point, Mount Hobson, Great Barrier ...

Fullers Group owns and operates the Waiheke Bus Company providing public transportation on

. Fullers360 also operates tourism packages and tours alongside ferry services at its island destinations.

Vessels

References

External links

{{commons category
Fullers Auckland
(official company website) Companies based in Auckland Ferry companies of New Zealand Public transport in Auckland Waiheke Island New Zealand companies established in 1981 Transport companies established in 1981

History

Services

Vessels

See also

References

External links