SeaLink NZ started as a ferry company owned by the Subritzky family in Auckland in 1960. During this time it went by various trading names including Subritzky Shipping, Subritzky Shipping Line, and Subritzky on the Hauraki Gulf. A change of ownership in 2004 saw the purchase of the company by Kangaroo Island SeaLink, a leading South Australian tourism company and in December 2005 the company was renamed the SeaLink Travel Group. At this point, the company started to focus on tourism and the SeaLink Holidays brand was born. Subritzky Shipping operated the first self-propelled vehicle ferry to Waiheke Island with the vessel Port Kennedy. Later on, the company began to trade as SubritzkyLine. Before being sold to SeaLink, the SubritzkyLine fleet was as follows:
Port Kennedy - Bowloader
HA Subritzky - Bowloader
MN Subritzky - Bowloader
BK Subritzky - Bowloader - Built 2001, freight only vessel
After the purchase of the Seacat, SubritzkyLine came into financial trouble. In September 2004, SeaLink Kangaroo Island purchased SubritzkyLine. The sale included only four vessels. SeaLink brought over the vessel Island Navigator for the Great Barrier Island services. In December 2005, the company began operating under the SeaLink brand. FreightLink was renamed as SeaLink Logistics in 2018 when it was brought under the SeaLink Travel Group umbrella. In 2011 the company quietly reverted to New Zealand ownership after 7 successful years in the hands of SeaLink Travel Group in Australia and is now owned by Lyncroft Properties. In 2014 SeaLink purchased Pine Harbour ferries, adding three fast passenger ferries to the fleet. Closely followed was the purchase of Clipper V giving Pine Harbour a total of four passenger ferries to cover the Pine Harbour to Pier 1D, Auckland City commuter service.
SeaLink operates up to 13 services a day from Half Moon Bay in East Auckland to Kennedy Point, Waiheke Island. The vessel Seacat operates the majority of these services, with the Seaway II operating services for the morning and evening commuter runs. The vessel Seamaster focuses on the freight and larger truck operations for SeaLink from Half Moon Bay. During the Summer period, on a Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday, Seaway II operates a service from Wynyard Quarter in Downtown Auckland to Kennedy Point, Waiheke.
Great Barrier Island
SeaLink operates the only year-round car and freight ferry service to Great Barrier Island, using the vessel Island Navigator. Services are from Hamer Street, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland to Tryphena Great Barrier Island. Charter services are also available that can arrive into Tryphena, Port Fitzroy and/or Whangaparapara.
