Dunedin Water Taxi / Bike Ferry, Scenic & Local Tours across Otago Harbour
Dunedin water taxi/ferry service on the Otago Harbour
Cycle the harbour loop!
What We Do
Cycle Ferry between Portobello and Port Chalmers so you can complete the harbour cycle loop.
We also offer transfers to Quarantine Island. For a couple of hours, or stay the night.
Forsyth Bar Stadium transfers on big event nights, alleviating your parking worries. Contact or see Locals Tours on our Port to Port website.
We can offer other pick ups too, by prior arrangement.
About Us
Owned and operated by experienced skipper, guide and local, Rachel McGregor.
Rachel has been working on commercial vessels on Otago Harbour since 2005 and guiding here since 2004.
Her wide maritime experience in Otago is unrivalled in the local tourism industry, providing a memorable and unique experience for you, her passengers.
Some of Rachel's maritime experience includes harbour dredger (machine operator and crew, harbour master vessel (skipper), search and rescue (skipper and safety officer), marine oil spill recovery vessel (skipper), tourism vessel (skipper and crew) and much more.
Her extensive albatross and wildlife guiding on Otago Harbour means she can easily spot, identify and talk about animals when they appear, on the crossing.
We hold a Marine Mammals Permit, allowing us to view and stop for marine mammals that may appear on the crossing.
You will be provided with a live professional commentary amplified through quality speakers as you cross. Making this water taxi/ferry experience a one of a kind. You will depart the vessel 10 minutes later, with new insight and knowledge of the things we pass along the way. Which includes shipwrecks/hulks, historic quarantine stations on Quarantine Island, (as we pass), birds, boats, volcanic history, maritime operations and much more.
Needless to say, this is far more than just a water taxi / harbour ferry experience!
See our reviews here (trip advisor).
Partially sheltered afterdeck, sheltered cabin, up to 20 passengers at a time. Up to 15 bikes at a time.
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We strongly recommend bookings. If you do not book you can try showing up on the day, but your seats will not be guaranteed. If you book it could make the difference between us sailing or not, during our quiet season. And in our busy season it gives us notice of the demand, so we can create extra sailings if we need to. to accommodate you. Booking is best made online, we manually confirm bookings as they come in.
We can take up to 20 passengers at a time. Or up to 15 bikes and cyclists at a time. We also do wildlife cruises, and on those longer trips we choose to take less people, between 12-14 max so that you are more comfortable and more more personal space.
We have bathroom facilities on the boat and fresh running water. The cabin can be heated on cold days.
No, the skipper/staff will load the bikes for you. You only need to pass the bike to the edge of the boat and we take care if it from there. There are special techniques that we use so we ask that passengers please resist the urge to try and help us with loading!
If you can give us 36 hours notice, or more we can refund your booking, minus credit card and booking fees. Or we can put your booking on hold or change the time or date for you. Changes outside of that do not refund or cannot change, as we have usually already organized the boat and staff around your booking.
Everyone has a different idea of what 'good' and 'bad' weather is! If it is unsafe to sail, we will give you as much notice as possible and we will fully refund anything youve paid, if we need to cancel the trip.
However, this is extremely unlikely to happen. We do not cancel for rain or cold. But we may cancel for extreme wind events, which are very rare. (This will be decided by the skipper/management)
You do not need to worry or get in touch with us to ask if the boat might cancel, if your booking day approaches, as we will be in touch with you if we have concerns! And we do take safety seriously.
Please check a local weather forecast if YOU are concerned you may not enjoy doing the trip/cycling. We recommend metservice and we ask you to do this in time to abide by our cancellation policy should you want any changes to your booking.
We plan to run every day, except Christmas Day. But this may depend on whether there are any bookings on the day or not. We recommend booking so we know that you would like to join us! Otherwise we might take the odd, rare day off, usually in the winter.
Yes, there is good parking at both our regular departure points, at Port Chalmers and Portobello. There is also parking nearby at Steamer basin, Otago Yacht Club, Careys Bay and Broad Bay departure points.
Yes, we can take either, onboard. Bookings are best made online, however if you show up on the day for last minute seats EFTPOS, credit card or cash are options for payment.