Dunedin buses

[boeckli]

45 minutes ago, chezzyr said:

Question re Port Chalmers. Can passengers walk off the ship and walk straight to the terminal building and beyond? Or is it a 'working port' and passengers have to be bussed/escorted?

 

You can walk off the ship to the terminal building and into the town.

[Sallyandtex]

1 hour ago, Over from NZ said:

Taxi, Uber.. public bus.. all available.  

Great! 

Might pre book an Uber then may be a lot of people wanting transport.

Is there a need to prebook HOHO bus? I notice tickets online.

[Aus Traveller]

53 minutes ago, chezzyr said:

Question re Port Chalmers. Can passengers walk off the ship and walk straight to the terminal building and beyond? Or is it a 'working port' and passengers have to be bussed/escorted?

You can walk on and off, but have to keep to a roped off section of the wharf. Make sure you take government photo ID (driver's licence or passport) as you will have to show it before you can return to the ship. This is in addition to your cruise card/medallion.

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, boeckli said:

 

You can walk off the ship to the terminal building and into the town.

 

Only if your ship is docked on the wharf next to the terminal building. If you are on a second ship in port then you are docked away from the terminal and have to be escorted through the industrial dock to the terminal.

[onlyslightlymad]

On 10/28/2022 at 5:20 PM, buchhalm said:

So. The locals complain when there are no tourists coming to spend their money in town.

When the tourists DO come, they complain that their bus is full.

But that's not only  a kiwi problem....

 

Hey, Dunedin tourist board.

You guys know when the ships come.

You know how many passengers they carry.

You know that at least half of them will need to get into your little town independently. 

How hard is it to organise a shuttle schedule for free or a modest fee?

Just a tad patronising...

[onlyslightlymad]

On 10/28/2022 at 7:23 PM, JeffroK said:

On our last trip and other research.

Port Chalmers, I thought was NZD$10 each way, its 15-20km into town so this is reasonable.

Akaroa, you walk off the  jetty.

Lyttelton, about 10km from Christchurch CBD. Was a free shuttle.

Wellington, Free shuttle

Napier, free shuttle into the CBD

Tauranga, free shuttle from Maunganui to Tauranga

Auckland, the ship parks at the bottom of the main street.

Bay of Islands, free shuttle from Waitangi to Paihia.

 

Most shuttles are put on by the local Port Authority, maybe along with the local tourist bureau

 

Mount Maunganui is in Tauranga but i know what you mean

[LuckiePuris]

On 10/28/2022 at 5:22 PM, lyndarra said:

That's my recollection. IIRC the Taeiri Gorge train could be booked privately (as a non ship tour) but you had to board at Dunedin station and get off there on return.

We did this also - booked the train independently and it was a much more comprehensive/longer journey than the one offered by cruise line and also cheaper.

Ofcourse comes with its risks when booking independent tours as opposed to through the cruise line, but was a fantastic day out.

[buchhalm]

40 minutes ago, LuckiePuris said:

We did this also - booked the train independently and it was a much more comprehensive/longer journey than the one offered by cruise line and also cheaper.

Ofcourse comes with its risks when booking independent tours as opposed to through the cruise line, but was a fantastic day out.

According to an email I received from the train operator,  we should "book via the cruise line ", and their own booking website won't let you book independently. 🤬

[LuckiePuris]

7 hours ago, buchhalm said:

According to an email I received from the train operator,  we should "book via the cruise line ", and their own booking website won't let you book independently. 🤬

My visit was quite a while ago back in 2009/2010 so they may have changed and perhaps now only contract the seats to the cruise line 

[arxcards]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:00 AM, Jean C said:

Another Herald report on excessive cost of cruise ship shuttle service:

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/opinion-christchurchs-shameful-welcome-for-cruise-passengers/UAT2CCGRVJB6LKKLK6BK3AHV3M/

 

On a visit to Tasmania Burnie township put on free shuttle buses for tourists, and not only that, they had pick-up and drop-off at three different locations, both shopping district and tourist spots. We could learn a lot from them, although I guess it boils down to the fact that no one wants to foot the bill 🤔

They have little choice. Like Newcastle, the working wharves are inside a secure zone, so shuttle buses are essential.

 

Also for Burnie, we ditched the $50 whiskey distillery & cheese factory tour in favour of a $5 public bus that went from the main street to a bus stop 50 metres from the front door.

[arxcards]

On 10/28/2022 at 11:59 AM, OzKiwiJJ said:

That's been a problem in Port Chalmers for years, and it sounds like it will be the same in Lyttleton. Unfortunately Celebrity charges everything in USD so the exchange rate makes it very expensive.

 

What we've found in Australia so far:

Brisbane was a mess the two times we stopped there. One stop had no shuttles, the other had limited shuttles at $40 return. I'm not sure if you booked those through Princess or what.

 

Airlie Beach had shuttles $5 pp return paid to the driver.

 

Darwin had shuttles, $20 pp return, tickets bought in the cruise terminal. 

 

Broome had free shuttles.

Princess when at Yorkey's Knob is $20.95 pp return into Cairns

[cruiser3775]

16 hours ago, buchhalm said:

According to an email I received from the train operator,  we should "book via the cruise line ", and their own booking website won't let you book independently.

That is the information I got about the Taeiri Gorge train trip when I contacted them.  They actually closed down for regular trips due to the pandemic, and looked like they were defunct. Now they have opened up only for trips when the cruise ships will be in town and they can get a guaranteed number of passengers to make it worthwhile to run a trip. So if you want to do this train trip, you will have to book it through the cruise ship excursions.

[buchhalm]

44 minutes ago, cruiser3775 said:

That is the information I got about the Taeiri Gorge train trip when I contacted them.  They actually closed down for regular trips due to the pandemic, and looked like they were defunct. Now they have opened up only for trips when the cruise ships will be in town and they can get a guaranteed number of passengers to make it worthwhile to run a trip. So if you want to do this train trip, you will have to book it through the cruise ship excursions.

It's a shame,  isn't it.

They basically have us by the short and curlies.

[cruiser3775]

18 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

It's a shame,  isn't it.

They basically have us by the short and curlies.

Yes, it will cost more, but I still want to do this iconic train trip, so I'm buying it as a ship's excursion anyway. I'm sure the cost will be forgotten long before I forget the actual train trip!

[MMDown Under]

1 minute ago, cruiser3775 said:

Yes, it will cost more, but I still want to do this iconic train trip, so I'm buying it as a ship's excursion anyway. I'm sure the cost will be forgotten long before I forget the actual train trip!

It is special how the train picks up passengers from the ship on the wharf.  I agree, if it is something you really want to do, it is worth the high cost. ( I learnt my lesson early when I didn't do an expensive ship's excursion to a resort to see the unique high cliff divers at Acapulco and missed seeing John Wayne in person.)

[buchhalm]

9 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

It is special how the train picks up passengers from the ship on the wharf.  I agree, if it is something you really want to do, it is worth the high cost. ( I learnt my lesson early when I didn't do an expensive ship's excursion to a resort to see the unique high cliff divers at Acapulco and missed seeing John Wayne in person.)

True. In the scheme of things...

8 K for a 2week cruise, 15 hundred for 2 x 1way AKL to SYD. 🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[arxcards]

4 hours ago, cruiser3775 said:

That is the information I got about the Taeiri Gorge train trip when I contacted them.  They actually closed down for regular trips due to the pandemic, and looked like they were defunct. Now they have opened up only for trips when the cruise ships will be in town and they can get a guaranteed number of passengers to make it worthwhile to run a trip. So if you want to do this train trip, you will have to book it through the cruise ship excursions.

The train never did operate a daily service, alternating between two different routes. The day we did the tour some years ago, it wasn't available on their website, and the train coasted through Dunedin station. On days of a scheduled service, you could book via their site and catch the train in Dunedin after a hasty taxi ride from the port to the station.

 

Yes, there are extra dollars, but it is a worthwhile tour. If it is still the same, your extra money includes some wine & snacks and a volunteer guide in each car offering a wealth of local information. Our guide reminded me of John Cleese, and was one of the highlights of the day.

[Relaxing Robbies]

Grand Princess was at Port Chalmers today and we bussed into Dunedin. Princess organised expensive shuttles $35 return or $20 one way. We took a minibus shuttle provided by a local tour company. $5 into town, just turn up and pay the driver, departed from near the local bus stop.We caught the local bus back to the ship. $1.50 for the trip, pay the driver. The buses are hourly during the day and there was a long queue of cruise passengers waiting. Many people didn’t fit on the bus, so they sent another bus 10 minutes later. All cruise passengers on the second bus, so it was a quick trip with no other stops before Port Chalmers.

 

Dunedin turned on great weather for us.

[2022cruisey]

Checked out the cost of train journey - $299 per person on Princess excursions for our 2024 tour.  That is $897 for the three of us - absolutely ridiculous.  We have been on trains all around the world and nothing has charged that much for a four hour scenic rail trip.

[buchhalm]

7 minutes ago, 2022cruisey said:

Checked out the cost of train journey - $299 per person on Princess excursions for our 2024 tour.  That is $897 for the three of us - absolutely ridiculous.  We have been on trains all around the world and nothing has charged that much for a four hour scenic rail trip.

Celebrity charges over AUD 400 for this.

6 hour tour, consisting of the train trip and a Dunedin city tour

[2022cruisey]

The Princess one is four hours and doesn’t say anything about any other inclusions.

[tonyl1956]

Apologies from a UK based member for contributing to a thread meant for others!

 

There are now some 'scheduled' services to the Taieri Gorge and you can see them at https://www.dunedinrailways.co.nz/journeys/the-inlander-journey 

 

The train is only going to Hindon and back, though there is another service on the same day called the Seasider, so you could join both together to make a day of it. Fares are way cheaper than a ship's tour ($50 pensioner or $60 adult) but you do have to get into Dunedin for the departure, so it depends when you dock.

 

We will be there with Azamara in January (29th) but Azamara is not offering the train trip. I have corresponded with the railway company about their services and accessibility for those with reduced mobility and received a prompt answer, so they definitely exist. I expect they will gradually return to more frequent departures and maybe the longer trip.

[possum52]

10 hours ago, tonyl1956 said:

Apologies from a UK based member for contributing to a thread meant for others!

 

There are now some 'scheduled' services to the Taieri Gorge and you can see them at https://www.dunedinrailways.co.nz/journeys/the-inlander-journey 

 

The train is only going to Hindon and back, though there is another service on the same day called the Seasider, so you could join both together to make a day of it. Fares are way cheaper than a ship's tour ($50 pensioner or $60 adult) but you do have to get into Dunedin for the departure, so it depends when you dock.

 

We will be there with Azamara in January (29th) but Azamara is not offering the train trip. I have corresponded with the railway company about their services and accessibility for those with reduced mobility and received a prompt answer, so they definitely exist. I expect they will gradually return to more frequent departures and maybe the longer trip.

According to the schedule, the train is running on the 29th January for Azamara Quest.  

Taieri Gorge Train Schedule

 

The Seasider is only running on either Saturday or Sunday once a month and doesn't return to Dunedin until 6pm which would make it too late for many ship passengers if not all. The Seasider

 

Because of Covid, the rolling stock for the Taieri Gorge line, which was leased, was returned to the North Island in June 2020. Taieri Gorge Engine and Rolling Stock Leaves Dunedin

[possum52]

On 11/7/2022 at 1:56 PM, arxcards said:

The train never did operate a daily service, alternating between two different routes. The day we did the tour some years ago, it wasn't available on their website, and the train coasted through Dunedin station. On days of a scheduled service, you could book via their site and catch the train in Dunedin after a hasty taxi ride from the port to the station.

 

Yes, there are extra dollars, but it is a worthwhile tour. If it is still the same, your extra money includes some wine & snacks and a volunteer guide in each car offering a wealth of local information. Our guide reminded me of John Cleese, and was one of the highlights of the day.

On our last visit to Dunedin (Nov 2018), we did the train through a local tour operator (booked through Viator) and there was also the cruise ship train which picked up passengers at Port Chalmers. It was about 30 minutes or so ahead of us. Our tour was picked up by coach from the cruise ship terminal and we boarded the train at Dunedin Station. That particular day there was a problem with all signals throughout the South Island and both trains were delayed and we ended up stopping at a station out of Dunedin and all passengers were picked up by coaches and returned to Dunedin. We were fortunate as our coach and driver were waiting for us and we were still able to do our sight seeing part of the tour before being returned to the ship.

[lyndarra]

9 minutes ago, possum52 said:

According to the schedule, the train is running on the 29th January for Azamara Quest.  

Taieri Gorge Train Schedule

 

The Seasider is only running on either Saturday or Sunday once a month and doesn't return to Dunedin until 6pm which would make it too late for many ship passengers if not all. The Seasider

 

Because of Covid, the rolling stock for the Taieri Gorge line, which was leased, was returned to the North Island in June 2020. Taieri Gorge Engine and Rolling Stock Leaves Dunedin

The Seasider has an optional drop off at Port Chalmers. We did that tour Dec 2017 and got off at Port Chalmers however it is a steep, but pleasant,  downhill walk back to the ship.