Arahura was built for the New Zealand Railways Corporation by Aalborg Vaerft, Denmark to cross Cook Strait, replacing the ageing Aramoana and Aranui.

[1] She was designed to operate at a faster service speed than the previous ferries on the route, while reducing waves that would affect nearby beaches.

[4] In 1986, Arahura helped rescue passengers from the sinking Soviet cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov,[5] providing lifeboats and extra assistance.

On 11 April 1989, Arahura rolled to 40 degrees during a routine sailing from Picton to Wellington because of stormy conditions in Cook Strait.

On 3 October 2015, renamed Ahura and with her Interislander livery painted out, she departed Wellington, bound for the Alang scrapyard in India, being beached there on 3 November.

The funnels now carried a stylized Pelorus Jack, a dolphin famous for assisting vessels navigating across the Cook Strait.