A scheduled boat has linked Lyttelton with Diamond Harbour since 1888, and today it is part of Christchurch's Metro network: Black Cat Cruises sails it for Environment Canterbury, a standard adult trip costs $5 by card, and the timetable is built around the No. 8 bus to the city. On weekdays the first boat leaves Lyttelton at 06:15, and the last one back from Diamond Harbour leaves at 21:42, or 22:42 on Fridays.
Metro's current Diamond Harbour Ferry timetable, with no end date; public holiday rules published to 2 January 2027; checked 9 October 2026 Metro Christchurch – Diamond Harbour Ferry timetable · 2026-10-09
Long before there was a timetable, Diamond Harbour depended on boats. Black Cat's history of the route describes early settlers rowing across in whaleboats, a first small pier at Stoddart's Point in 1857 and a formal scheduled service from 1888, carrying commuters, schoolchildren, produce, livestock and mail. Until the road around the bays was sealed in 1967, the ferry was the only practical way to the south side of the harbour.
Black Cat Cruises brought in the catamaran Black Diamond in May 2001, cutting the crossing to under ten minutes by its account, and added the 16-metre Black Pearl, built in Rangiora, in September 2024 to double capacity. The company says the route now carries more than 155,000 trips a year.
The service sits inside Christchurch's public transport system. Metro sets the fares and publishes the timetable; no booking is needed or possible, and you simply turn up at the jetty.
The ferry has its own Metro fare, higher than the bus: $5 for a standard adult trip with a contactless bank card, a Motu Move card or a Metrocard, against $3 on a bus. Every fare is one way. Metro's caps work in your favour if you cross often: card users never pay for more than two ferry trips in a day or ten in a week, which comes to $10 and $50 at the standard rate. On board you can also pay by EFTPOS or in cash.
That changes on 23 November 2026, when Metro stops accepting Metrocards and cash on its Christchurch, Selwyn and Waimakariri services as Motu Move takes over. Fares stay the same with Motu Move. Children under five ride free, and SuperGold cardholders ride without paying from 9am on a weekday, and for the whole of Saturday, Sunday and any public holiday.
| Standard adult | $ 5 |
| Youth 19–24 | $ 4.50 |
| Total Mobility cardholder | $ 4 |
| Child 5–18 | $ 2.50 |
| Community Services Card | $ 2.50 |
| Standard adult | $ 6 |
| Child 5–18 | $ 4 |
| Daily cap | $ 10 |
| Weekly cap, Monday to Sunday | $ 50 |
Metro Greater Christchurch fares read 9 October 2026; Metrocard and cash accepted until 22 November 2026 Metro Christchurch – Fares · 2026-10-09
The ferry runs straight across Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour, from the port town on the northern shore to Diamond Harbour on the Banks Peninsula shore, and it makes no intermediate calls. By road the same trip means driving round the head of the harbour. Black Cat's Quail Island trips leave from the same jetty, but they are a separate excursion with their own tickets, not part of the Metro service.
All Black Cat's Lyttelton boats, the Diamond Harbour ferry included, leave from B Jetty. From the main street you cross the pedestrian overbridge and walk down to the boarding area; the path is paved and the terminal is wheelchair friendly. There is no public parking on the wharf, so leave the car on a township street and allow 20 minutes to find a space and walk down. The wharf has a single toilet, with more in the town five to ten minutes away.
Black Cat notes that this is the longest surviving outlying jetty in continuous use on Banks Peninsula. In summer people jump off it to swim, and the crew asks them to keep clear of the boat. From the jetty a steep climb leads up to the village shops, the café and the eatery, which matters if you are pushing a pram or a wheelchair.
Hold your bank card, phone or Motu Move card to the reader when you step aboard; transfers between bus and ferry and the fare caps are then worked out for you.
The ferry timetable is meshed with route 8, which runs from Lyttelton through the central city to the airport.
Bicycles go at no charge, though space depends on the weather, passenger numbers and how well bikes stack.
Dogs are allowed, kept on a lead and supervised by their owners. Certified assistance dogs are welcome everywhere.
Black Cat publishes a Diamond Harbour Ferry Times app for frequent travellers, alongside Metro's online timetable.
Why does the timetable look so uneven on weekdays? Because it is built around commuting. Between 06:15 and 08:05 the boat leaves Lyttelton five times to catch the morning rush, then settles to once an hour at ten to the hour until mid-afternoon, before a second peak between 15:20 and 18:30. Weekends are gentler and more regular, with extra half-hourly boats around the middle of the day for walkers and lunch trips.
Few South Island harbours still have a cross-harbour boat. On the Otago Harbour the ferry between Port Chalmers and Portobello also crosses in about ten minutes, but it runs only on booked sailings with a 20-seat boat. In the capital, the Wellington Harbour ferry to Days Bay is the closest match: a commuter boat you board with a card, though over a much longer run.
On Metro's timetable, 12 out of Lyttelton and 13 on the way back. Black Cat puts the time actually spent under way at eight to ten minutes.
No. There is no reservation system: walk down to B Jetty and pay once you are aboard.
A standard adult trip is $5 on a card; cash, taken until 22 November 2026, costs $6. A 5- to 18-year-old paying by card is charged $2.50.
Until 22 November 2026. From 23 November Metro accepts neither cash nor Metrocard; use a bank card, a phone wallet or a Motu Move card.
21:42 Monday to Thursday, 22:42 on Friday, 23:02 on Saturday and 20:02 on Sunday.
Yes, on the Saturday timetable for most holidays and the Sunday one on Christmas Day, when no trips start after 6pm.
Not on the wharf. Park on a street in Lyttelton and allow about 20 minutes to find a space and walk to B Jetty.