Welcome to Auckland, and a bunch of Auckland Airport transport options!

In this post you’ll learn about getting from Auckland Airport to the city (and Britomart to Auckland Airport by reversing them).

We’ll use Britomart, less than 25km away from the airport as the ‘city’ as it’s the main transport hub from Auckland Airport to CBD. It’s also where the non-private transport options go.

There are six options to get from Auckland Airport to the city that 90%+ people will use (unless you drive yourself or are getting picked up).

p.s. If you’re going elsewhere and want some help with your transport options email me jub@churnewzealand.com and I’ll do my best to help.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Price Comparison
2. Public Bus/Train
3. SkyBus
4. Shuttle
5. Ridesharing Apps
6. Taxi

BEFORE YOU CONTINUE

I haven’t considered walking as it’s about 20km, and it’s not a nice walk.

The information was current as of the date published at the top of the post.

Wi-Fi at Auckland Airport is easy to access and plenty fast enough.

The cheapest option for one person is via the bus and train option, though with more people other options could be cheaper.

I couldn’t find a Skinny sim card at Auckland Airport but that’s the best sim card to travel NZ in my experience.

Looking for transport options from other airports around the country? Here’s Wellingon, Christchurch, and Queenstown.

I genuinely think the best way to get from Auckland Airport to City is via Public Transport. It’s cheap, the service run regularly and you get to see a glimpse of local life.

1. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO GET FROM AUCKLAND AIRPORT TO CITY

The price for one adult.

• Public Bus/Train Combo: $7.80 for one adult (it’s $3.90 until the end of January 2023, thanks to half-price fares!)
• SkyBus: From $15
• Shuttle: From $30
• Ridesharing App: ~$48-$57
• Taxi: From $38

2. PUBLIC BUS/TRAIN COMBO (CHEAPEST)

This is how I get from Auckland Airport to Britomart most of the time. It’s the cheapest way to get from Auckland Airport to the city, and deepening on traffic, could be faster than getting a taxi/shuttle into the city.

Before boarding, you’ll need to buy an AT Hop card before you board as you can’t use cash to get on buses (you can for trains an ferries).

You can buy AT Hop cards at one retailer at each terminal:

• Internation Terminal: Take Home
• Domestic Terminal: AirGo Convenience

They are $5 each. Hopefully you’ve already got one.

There are two steps to this route:

1. Bus from Auckland Airport to Puhinui Train Station ($2.40 maximum).
2. Train from Puhinui Train Station to Britomart ($5.40).

Step 1: Bus to Puhinui Train Station

The bus stop (bus number 380 and it’s called the Airporter/AirportLink) at the international terminal located here, and the domestic terminal bus stop is here.

Tap on with your AT Hop Card and find your seat. The buses have plenty of room for bags, and there are USB ports to charge your things.

You’ll get off at this stop here (the bus took 14 minutes for me) which is right by the Puhinui Station. Follow the signs into the station, and head to Platform 1 for the trains to Britomart.

Step 2: Puhinui Train to Britomart.

Head up the ramp into the station, and it’s easy to figure out your way through. You’ll need to tap on with your AT Hop card again to pass through the gates.

Proceed to platform 1.

Fingers crossed you time it well with the transfer…I waited seven minutes for the train. As long as you’re going to Britomart, you can get on either the red or yellow one.

The total travel time from me exiting the Auckland Airport terminal to exiting Britomart for me was one hour, which I think is pretty good!

You can view the AirportLink bus time table here and the train timetable here and here (you can catch either train from Puhinui to Britomart).

Note: Read the timetables if you’re adding in the evening as the last trains on’t run all night (last train will be about 10.30pm).

3. SKYBUS FROM AUCKLAND AIRPORT TO CITY

AS OF SEPTEMBER 2021 ALL SKYBUS SERVICES HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED – THERE’S BEEN NO UPDATE AS TO WHEN/IF THEY WILL RESUME

SkyBus is a company operating airport to city bus services in New Zealand and Australia. This Auckland Airport bus to city is a reasonable option for one or two people who want a quick and efficient service between Auckland Airport and the city (the journey takes ~40 minutes).

At the international terminal, you’ll find the SkyBus bus stop by following the signs inside the terminal (lots of signs mentioning buses). It’s on the left-hand side after the first pedestrian crossing.

You’ll need to buy your tickets at the booth, one-way the costs $15 are for adults and $2 for children (16 years and under) from Auckland Airport to the city. If you’ve got kids in tow, it becomes an excellent option.

The buses have wifi and they run from 5 am to 10 pm (every 30 minutes) which makes them an attractive option.

4. AUCKLAND AIRPORT SHUTTLES

Super Shuttle is the most popular airport shuttle service nationwide. Their fares can work great depending on how many people are in your group.

Though, unless you pay for the exclusive use of an shuttle ($160) you might end up riding all over Auckland before being dropped off at your destination.

The fare structure between Auckland International Airport and the city (Britomart) is:

• 1 person: $30
• 2 people: $40
• 3 people: $50
• 4 people: $60 etc.

RELATED POST: 14+ THINGS TO DO IN AUCKLAND

5. RIDE SHARING APPS

Auckland Airport is served by three ride-sharing apps: Uber, Ola, and YourRide.

There’s a rideshare zone at the airport which you can find at both the domestic terminal (behind the big car park) and international terminal (the exit at door 11).

The fee is obviously going to change based on the time you land etc, but I’ve done a little sample by checking the price of each app at 8:45 pm on a Wednesday evening.

From Auckland Airport to Britomart:

• YourRide: $48-$56 and a 29 minute travel time.
• Ola: $51-$57 but no time estimation.
• Uber: $53.03 and a 30 minute travel time.

This includes the airport pickup tariffs etc.

READ MORE: COMPARING YOURRIDE, OLA, AND UBER

6. AUCKLAND AIRPORT TAXIS

You’ll see the taxis when you walk out the door. Unless there’s a reason you despise ride-sharing apps, I suggest you take Uber/YourRide/Ola over the taxis every day.

If you’re catching a taxi you have the option of a flat rate, or you can use the meter. Just make sure you verify what option you want in advance.

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I hope this information helps you get from Auckland Airport to the city in the way that best suits your needs. I’ll forever be one to choose the cheapest form of transport, it saves money, usually doesn’t take a lot longer than other methods and gives the best chance to start getting a glimpse of local culture.

Again, if you need any help or have a question about Auckland Airport transport, leave a comment below or email jub@churnewzealand.com .

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For a walk that gives you a good overview of Auckland, you can’t go past this one.

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This will help you decide if it’s worth you doing or not.

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Note, this was before 2020!