At the end of the 60 km Croiselles–French Pass Road, the mainland stops at a narrow channel of notoriously dangerous water, and D'Urville Island sits on the other side. There is no ferry and no timetable across Te Aumiti/French Pass: people cross by booked water taxi, and vehicles go over on a barge.
No published timetable for any operator as checked on 29 September 2026; D'Urville Crossings lists Monday to Friday barge days, and its only published holiday closures are for December 2025 to January 2026 D'Urville Crossings – operating hours · 2026-09-29
D'Urville Island, Rangitoto ki te Tonga, lies across Te Aumiti/French Pass from the last settlement on the Croiselles–French Pass Road, and no scheduled ferry links the two. DOC's advice for reaching the island's campsite at Moawhitu is to barge a vehicle across or take a water taxi from French Pass to Kapowai, and that sums up the options: two passenger water taxis working from Catherine Cove on the island, and two vehicle barges, one kept on a mooring at French Pass and one that comes down from Nelson.
None of them runs to a timetable. The water taxis quote each trip on application; D'Urville Island Barge Services posts a fixed price to Kapowai Bay, and D'Urville Crossings works weekdays by booking, at an hourly rate.
What you are carrying decides which boat to book. A walker or a couple of mountain bikers need a water taxi, or a spare place on someone else's barge trip. Anyone bringing a car, a ute and trailer or a group of quad bikes needs the barge, and the island's 60-plus kilometres of public road are the reason people do.
Only one of the four operators publishes a price, and it is a price for the barge, not a seat. D'Urville Island Barge Services charges per trip for its standard run between the French Pass boat ramp and Kapowai Bay, GST included, whatever it carries within its limits: a loaded ute and trailer, quad bikes, mountain bikers, up to 12 people. Anywhere else on the island is charged by the hour.
Both water taxis quote each trip on request. D'Urville Crossings, which brings its barge down from Nelson, charges by the hour from port and back to port and takes a $750 non-refundable deposit per booked crossing, with the balance due 72 hours before; it takes cash or direct credit only.
| Standard trip French Pass boat ramp to Kapowai Bay, one way | $ 517.50 |
| Standard trip, return | $ 632.50 |
| Other landings on the island, per hour (minimum one hour) | $ 621 |
Barge prices shown by D'Urville Island Barge Services on 29 September 2026 and marked as subject to change; water taxi fares are quoted on enquiry D'Urville Island Barge Services · 2026-09-29
Te Aumiti/French Pass is the narrow channel between the tip of the mainland and the southern end of D'Urville Island, and the island's water taxi operator calls its waters dangerous. The standard barge makes the shortest hop, from the settlement's boat ramp to Kapowai Bay; water taxis from Catherine Cove on the island's eastern side run to French Pass and to other bays on request.
The mainland side is the small settlement at French Pass, reached by leaving SH6 north of Rai Valley on Ronga Road, which becomes the Croiselles–French Pass Road and runs 60 km to the water, in DOC's figure. The standard barge service starts from the French Pass boat ramp, where the barge M.V. D'Urville is kept on a permanent mooring. Water taxis collect from French Pass by arrangement, so confirm the pick-up point when booking. Our map pin marks the bay at the settlement rather than a particular ramp.
Kapowai Bay is where the island's public roads begin and where the standard barge trip lands. From here DOC's route to the Moawhitu campsite in Greville Harbour/Wharariki is 27 km of road, the last 2 km steep, narrow and slippery after rain. The water taxis based at Catherine Cove, further north-east along the island, can also drop at Kapowai or at private baches around the coast.
D'Urville Island Barge Services takes loads up to 9.8 m long, 2.9 m wide and 8.5 tonnes gross, driven on and off over a powered bow ramp. D'Urville Crossings limits trailers to 2.2 m wide and vehicle plus trailer to 10.5 m.
DOC calls a four-wheel-drive and driving experience essential for the road down to Moawhitu campsite, where the final 2 km are steep and narrow with drop-offs.
At Moawhitu campsite dogs are allowed only with a permit from the nearest DOC office. Arrange it before you set off for French Pass.
D'Urville Crossings does not take EFTPOS or credit cards: pay by cash or direct credit, and arrive 10 minutes before your booked time, since it charges late fees by the minute.
Both barge operators make their trips subject to the weather, and D'Urville Crossings says it will phone the number on your booking if a date or time has to change.
The barge that stays at French Pass is the M.V. D'Urville, 11.5 m long and 3.5 m wide, carrying a New Zealand certificate of survey and a Marine Transport Operator Certificate, with a skipper certified to work it inside the 12-nautical-mile limit. Its standard price covers the barge, not each passenger, so a group sharing one trip shares one bill. D'Urville Crossings works differently: its barge is based in Nelson, its time is charged from leaving port to returning, and it tries to put several customers on the same date to share that travel time.
The Wilderness Resort at Catherine Cove runs its aqua taxi between French Pass and the resort and will quote other destinations. D'Urville Island Water Taxis and Charters, based at Cherry Tree Bay in the same cove, uses the Aurore, which takes up to 12 passengers, and says it operates year-round. Neither page is dated, so a phone call before the drive out is part of the trip.
No scheduled one. People cross by water taxi booked in advance, and vehicles go on a barge. DOC's directions for the island's campsite point visitors to those two options, landing at Kapowai.
D'Urville Island Barge Services lists $517.50 one way and $632.50 return for its standard French Pass to Kapowai Bay trip, GST included, for the barge and its load. Other landing points cost $621.00 an hour, minimum one hour. The operator says prices can change.
Neither water taxi publishes a fare; both quote on application, by phone or through their websites.
The barge operator at French Pass describes its standard run to Kapowai Bay as about 15 minutes. The water taxis do not publish crossing times; ask when you book, as it depends on the bay you are going to.
D'Urville Crossings operates only Monday to Friday. The other barge and the water taxis do not publish fixed days, so ask when you book.
Kapowai Bay is where the island's public roads start. DOC's route to the Moawhitu campsite in Greville Harbour/Wharariki is 27 km by road and needs a 4WD for the steep final section.
At DOC's Moawhitu campsite only with a DOC permit, arranged through the nearest DOC office before you travel.