A new tourist attraction in the works will see Kiwis fly over the Hauraki Gulf in a zero-emission vessel.
The country's largest ferry operator Fullers360 has partnered with Auckland-based sustainable boating designers Seachange to bring a premium 10-seater zero-emission hydrofoiling F8 vessel to the Hauraki Gulf.
From around September next year, Kiwis and tourists will be able to glide above the waves.
"There's this sort of weightless feeling that you feel as the world goes silent and the hulls lift off the water. It's truly an incredible technology," Seachange founder and CEO Max Olson told AM.
Fullers360 CEO Mike Horne said people can literally fly wherever they want in the new vessel.
"This is travel like Kiwis have never seen before," Horne said in a statement.
The decarbonised eight-metre vessel operates a bit quicker than ferries, reaching a top speed of 55 kilometres per hour.
The company claims its advanced hydrofoil technology allows it to deliver vessels that meet both the speed and range demands of commercial operators, while also providing a more comfortable journey.
The service is being marketed as a high-end, high-value tourism experience and Horne said it is exactly what tourism is pitching internationally as tourists push for sustainability.
"There's this huge push at the moment to go sustainable and we're just here to provide the right tools for people to unlock those sustainable adventures out in the ocean," Olson told AM.
The price has not been set yet but Horne said it while not be "eyewatering" and sit within standard tourism bounds.
Olson said in a statement the shared connection and respect for the ocean, commitment to green technology, and ambition for New Zealand to lead in the future of water transport was the instigator for this partnership.
"We're immensely proud that our vision and values align so closely with Fullers360 and that together, we will bring a truly unique tourism service to New Zealand."
