Local Buses NZ - Port Chalmers and Lyttleton

[LuckiePuris]

12 hours ago, NeilonBoard said:

On Princess the return shuttle is $35 for both Port Chalmers and Lyttleton. When you get off the ship you pay directly to the bus company before getting on the bus. Credit cards and $NZD cash are the only method of payment. You cannot pre purchase shuttle tickets from the ship.

Thank you!

[OzKiwiJJ]

18 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

Julie and everyone: which would you recommend: Dunedin or Christchurch?  Not sure we want to do two long days with shuttles in a row.  Also to consider are the port towns.  Would appreciate your opinions.

I can't give you a fair answer to that as I just can't bear to go into Christchurch these days as the Christchurch I knew and loved years ago no longer exists.

 

Look at excursions for Dunedin. If there is one that takes in the Albatross Sanctuary, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle and Dunedin Railway Station then do it. 

[mr walker]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

 

 

Look at excursions for Dunedin. If there is one that takes in the Albatross Sanctuary, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle and Dunedin Railway Station then do it. 

I thoroughly recommend Tourworks in Dunedin for a trip like this - we used them on our last visit to Dunedin - Russ was great & he’s a true local 

[SilvertoGold]

3 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I can't give you a fair answer to that as I just can't bear to go into Christchurch these days as the Christchurch I knew and loved years ago no longer exists.

 

Look at excursions for Dunedin. If there is one that takes in the Albatross Sanctuary, the Penguin Place, Larnach Castle and Dunedin Railway Station then do it. 

Thanks, Julie.  Appreciate the time you take on your cruise answering questions and giving advice, in addition to your cruise blog posts.

[onlyslightlymad]

Lyttelton local unhappy with the cruise ship buses.

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130878058/influx-of-cruise-ship-buses-driving-one-man-around-the-bend

[buchhalm]

20 minutes ago, onlyslightlymad said:

Lyttelton local unhappy with the cruise ship buses.

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/130878058/influx-of-cruise-ship-buses-driving-one-man-around-the-bend

I can only roll my eyes over this article. 

[lyndarra]

18 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

I can only roll my eyes over this article. 

He has a point. Perhaps it's a good time to go to the pub for a while.

 

I don't get why cruisers spend thousands on a holiday and then penny-pinch by using the local public transport  which is government subsidized. These may be the same people who complain of being nickel and dimed by the cruise companies.

[OzKiwiJJ]

12 minutes ago, lyndarra said:

He has a point. Perhaps it's a good time to go to the pub for a while.

 

I don't get why cruisers spend thousands on a holiday and then penny-pinch by using the local public transport  which is government subsidized. These may be the same people who complain of being nickel and dimed by the cruise companies.

The problem is you need to get the shuttle bus to get to the local bus stops (and the pub). 😱

[lyndarra]

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

The problem is you need to get the shuttle bus to get to the local bus stops (and the pub). 😱

Quite right. Sorry.  I was thinking of Port Chalmers. I haven't been to Lyttleton. But don't the shuttle busses take you to CHCH?

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 hours ago, lyndarra said:

Quite right. Sorry.  I was thinking of Port Chalmers. I haven't been to Lyttleton. But don't the shuttle busses take you to CHCH?

There are two types of shuttle buses from the Lyttelton cruise terminal.

 

Free shuttle buses take you off the wharf to the Information Centre in Lyttelton. 

 

The Christchurch shuttle buses aren't free - $35 return. I think they would go straight to the tunnel from the wharf but may swing by the Lyttelton I.C. on the way back to pick up anyone waiting there. 

Edited December 30, 2022 by OzKiwiJJ

[Tara Jane]

I wonder what a taxi would cost from Dunedin port to town.  We've gone various ways over the years but last couple of times just enjoyed Port Chalmers.  For those going into Dunedin city bring in our 60s we really enjoyed the museum next to the railway station.  It had many things of my childhood, I'm not a museum person but really enjoyed this possibly as the items meant something to me.

[Over from NZ]

On 12/27/2022 at 5:19 PM, SilvertoGold said:

Julie and everyone: which would you recommend: Dunedin or Christchurch?  Not sure we want to do two long days with shuttles in a row.  Also to consider are the port towns.  Would appreciate your opinions.

Neither is a long shuttle. 30-mins max. More like 10-15 mins. Nothing to worry about at all! 🙂

 

[buchhalm]

Port Chalmers today on Celebrity Eclipse. 

Ships return shuttle charged at USD 10 p.p.

Quite rwasonable.

But dont expect a coach. They use school busses and regular public transport buses. NCL in port as well, seemed to use same busses.

There were good free maps available in the terminal.

[NSWP]

13 hours ago, buchhalm said:

Port Chalmers today on Celebrity Eclipse. 

Ships return shuttle charged at USD 10 p.p.

Quite rwasonable.

But dont expect a coach. They use school busses and regular public transport buses. NCL in port as well, seemed to use same busses.

There were good free maps available in the terminal.

US$10 cheap as chips, but I bet some pax still had a whinge, lol.

[buchhalm]

Lyttleton / Christchurch shuttle of Eclipse is also $10 to Christchurch. 

There is a FREE shuttke to Lyttleton village. This is also the shuttle to take to meet any private tours. 

They are not allowed into the port itself.

[Jimmy147]

Check out www.Christchurchnz.com

A new transport plan for cruise passengers travelling from Lyttleton to Christchurch has been posted on their website today 3 November 2023 and is worth a read

 

[MMDown Under]

6 hours ago, Jimmy147 said:

Check out www.Christchurchnz.com

A new transport plan for cruise passengers travelling from Lyttleton to Christchurch has been posted on their website today 3 November 2023 and is worth a read

 

Well done Christchurch.  Win win for locals and passengers.

[possum52]

7 hours ago, Jimmy147 said:

Check out www.Christchurchnz.com

A new transport plan for cruise passengers travelling from Lyttleton to Christchurch has been posted on their website today 3 November 2023 and is worth a read

 

This is the link to the actual article - Transport Plan for Christchurch Cruise Season

 

Note this transport plan has been rejigged since the original was announced a couple of weeks ago.

 

Key points of the transport plan:

• There will be a shuttle service that transports cruise passengers directly into the central city from the cruise berth, at an affordable cost that is comparable to public transport fares meaning price sensitive cruise passengers catch the shuttle and not public transport. It also offers a guarantee that passenger’s vessels will not sail without them as long as they are at the shuttle stop prior to the advertised last shuttle time, unlike public transport which offers no guarantee in the event of delays.
• The transport plan is scalable based on the size of the cruise ship in port, which will provide a consistent operation benefiting local residents, cruise ship passengers and tourism operators.
• Passengers who have pre-booked independent tours departing from Lyttelton can take a free shuttle to Norwich Quay to meet their tours or private transfers.
• Passengers who wish to travel to the Christchurch gondola can take a pre-booked shore excursion directly from the cruise berth to the gondola return, reducing any additional possible pressure on the Number 8 route.
• The public transport bus network has a more frequent and increased capacity service with the recent changes from Route 28 to Route 8. There is an additional school bus service being provided by Environment Canterbury for the duration of the season. This is to support school students who use the Orbiter service. This will connect the No. 8 buses to Lyttelton after school. The new service will start from Cashmere High School and stop at Opawa Road to replicate the Orbiter / No.8 connection, before following the No. 8 route to Lyttelton. These additional services are a backup measure to ensure the public transport system is well resourced for the season.

ChristchurchNZ and key city agencies will monitor this transport plan across the season and refine as required, in what aims to be a more balanced approach and positive experience for residents, passengers and local operators.

[Wookie01]

Thanks everyone for the recent posts. 🙂
From what I read it is still a bit difficult if you want to go to the Gondola on the way to/from the ship as there are no ship excursions.
Not sure if it is possible to shuttle into Christchurch and then take the local bus back to Lyttelton via the Gondola, then be able to access the port.

[Over from NZ]

7 hours ago, Wookie01 said:

Thanks everyone for the recent posts. 🙂
From what I read it is still a bit difficult if you want to go to the Gondola on the way to/from the ship as there are no ship excursions.
Not sure if it is possible to shuttle into Christchurch and then take the local bus back to Lyttelton via the Gondola, then be able to access the port.

Just uber. It's not far at all. 

 

[Over from NZ]

7 hours ago, Wookie01 said:

Thanks everyone for the recent posts. 🙂
From what I read it is still a bit difficult if you want to go to the Gondola on the way to/from the ship as there are no ship excursions.
Not sure if it is possible to shuttle into Christchurch and then take the local bus back to Lyttelton via the Gondola, then be able to access the port.

There's a slight discount if you get the combo - https://www.christchurchattractions.nz/

 

The discovery ride at the top of the Gondola is short but excellent. 

 

You certainly don't need a ship excursion to go to the Gondola or any of the Christchurch attractions. 

[Wookie01]

5 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

There's a slight discount if you get the combo - https://www.christchurchattractions.nz/

 

The discovery ride at the top of the Gondola is short but excellent. 

 

You certainly don't need a ship excursion to go to the Gondola or any of the Christchurch attractions. 

Thanks, yes we were aware of the combo ticket.
My concern is whether we can take the bus on from the Gondola into Lyttelton to board the ship or do we have to return to Christchurch and pick up the shuttle from there. 🤔

[valantine80]

22 hours ago, Wookie01 said:

Thanks, yes we were aware of the combo ticket.
My concern is whether we can take the bus on from the Gondola into Lyttelton to board the ship or do we have to return to Christchurch and pick up the shuttle from there. 🤔

I am also interested in this. We may have to wait for a report from those on the early cruises to NZ.

[By The Bay]

On 11/4/2023 at 9:42 AM, Wookie01 said:

Thanks everyone for the recent posts. 🙂
From what I read it is still a bit difficult if you want to go to the Gondola on the way to/from the ship as there are no ship excursions.
Not sure if it is possible to shuttle into Christchurch and then take the local bus back to Lyttelton via the Gondola, then be able to access the port.

This is what we did on our last trip. Got on the bus from Christchurch and after visiting the Gondola, there was a bus to take us into Lyttelton. It was easy.

Edited November 5, 2023 by By The Bay

[valantine80]

12 hours ago, By The Bay said:

This is what we did on our last trip. Got on the bus from Christchurch and after visiting the Gondola, there was a bus to take us into Lyttelton. It was easy.

It seems this may not be possible with the new transport arrangements. The only cruise passengers they want in Lyttleton are those going on local tours.