By road, Port Chalmers and Portobello are on opposite shores of a long harbour and the drive goes all the way round through Dunedin. By water they are about ten minutes apart. A single 20-seat boat, the Sootychaser, closes that gap on booked sailings, carrying walkers, cyclists and dogs, and calls at Kamau Taurua/Quarantine Island in between.
Undated timetable on Port to Port's website, with extra sailings marked for November to April; checked 29 September 2026 Port to Port – timetable · 2026-09-29
Port Chalmers and Portobello face each other across the Otago Harbour, the flooded heart of an old volcano, and between them sits Kamau Taurua/Quarantine Island. Port to Port Cruises and Wildlife Tours runs a small ferry across that gap: a crossing of around ten minutes on the MV Sootychaser, a purpose-built boat that seats 20 and carries a bike rack. It is a booked service rather than a turn-up ferry, and the same company runs separate wildlife cruises from the same wharves.
Two departures each way run all year: 12:55 and 15:00 from Back Beach in Port Chalmers, 13:15 and 15:15 from Portobello. From November to April the timetable grows, with extra boats from Port Chalmers at 09:30, 11:50, 15:30 and 17:45 and from Portobello at 12:35 and 18:10 on busier days. The adult fare is $20 each way.
Most people using it are riding the Otago Harbour cycle loop, which rounds the harbour on both shores; the ferry lets them do half the loop and cross back, and the operator describes itself as the original cycle ferry on the harbour.
The fare is the same whichever pair of stops you use: Port Chalmers, Quarantine Island or Portobello, each way. Bikes pay their own fare, electric or not, and dogs ride on the outside deck for a few dollars. The operator adds booking and card fees of up to 3% on top of the listed prices, and is silent on whether GST is part of them.
Babies are the odd case. Port to Port counts infants as a seat on the ferry, because its survey limits it to 20 people, so on a crossing they pay the child fare; the lower infant price applies only on the longer cruises.
| Adult | $ 20 |
| Child 3–15 (and infants on the ferry) | $ 10 |
| Bike, manual or electric | $ 15 |
| Dog | $ 6 |
| Mini Harbour Tour (across and back, 25 minutes), adult | $ 40 |
| Mini Harbour Tour, child | $ 20 |
| Quarantine Island, groups of 15 or more, adult return | $ 25 |
| Quarantine Island, groups of 15 or more, child return | $ 20 |
Fares on Port to Port's ferry and timetable pages, read 29 September 2026 Port to Port – Portobello ferry fares · 2026-09-29
The Otago Harbour is a long, narrow inlet running from Dunedin's city centre out to the sea at Taiaroa Head, with Port Chalmers on the northern shore and the Otago Peninsula to the south. The ferry cuts straight across its middle section: from Back Beach at Port Chalmers to Kamau Taurua/Quarantine Island and on to Portobello on the peninsula shore. On the way the skipper points out the old quarantine station and the wrecks along the island's shore. Carey's Bay, just north of Port Chalmers, is served by prior arrangement.
The Port Chalmers stop is not the town wharf by the cruise ship berth but Back Beach, on the far side of the port. From Beach Street, the main street, walk east away from the shops and past the log yards; the operator puts it at five to ten minutes on foot and under a kilometre, ending at a large car park beside the yacht club and its floating pontoon.
On the peninsula side the boat uses Portobello's wharf in the village, beside the Otago Harbour cycle trail, a short walk from cafés and the bus stop. The same wharf is the starting point for Port to Port's wildlife cruises down the harbour, so make sure the booking you are holding is the ferry and not the two-hour cruise.
Online bookings show as pending until Port to Port confirms that the sailing has enough passengers. If it cannot run, you are offered a refund or credit. Check your spam folder for the confirmation.
The boat's rack takes up to 15 manual or 12 electric bikes with their riders; tandems and trailers need a note in the booking. Stand back while the skipper loads them.
Dogs travel on a short lead on the outside deck. Mention a long-haired breed when booking.
The boat usually collects island visitors about two hours later on a sailing in the opposite direction. There are toilets on the island; the two houses are private, and the community asks for a coin in the donation boxes.
Boarding means stepping down about 30 cm into the boat, and wheelchairs cannot be stowed on board. Folding prams are fine. Call ahead if mobility is limited.
There is no pick-up from Dunedin. Otago Regional Council buses run to Port Chalmers and Portobello, and each wharf is about ten minutes' walk from the nearest stop.
Quarantine Island is the reason to stop halfway. It is a public recreation reserve cared for by a community group, with an island keeper, basic group accommodation at St Martin Lodge, walks around the shore and the historic quarantine station buildings. Visitors are asked to check in with the keeper on arrival. The ferry drops you on its way across and, as a rule, picks you up two hours later on the next boat going the other way.
What the ferry is not is a wildlife cruise. Port to Port's two-hour trips from Portobello and Back Beach run down the shipping channel to Taiaroa Head looking for albatross, seals and penguins and cost several times the crossing fare. If you only want to see the harbour briefly, the 25-minute Mini Harbour Tour is simply the ferry there and back without getting off.
Yes, a small booked passenger and bike ferry run by Port to Port Cruises and Wildlife Tours. It takes about ten minutes and can stop at Quarantine Island on the way.
All year: 12:55 and 15:00 from Port Chalmers, 13:15 and 15:15 from Portobello. From November to April there are extra sailings from Port Chalmers at 09:30, 11:50, 15:30 and 17:45 and from Portobello at 12:35 and 18:10 on busier days.
$20 each way for an adult and $10 for a child, plus $15 for a bike and $6 for a dog. The operator may add up to 3% in booking and card fees.
Yes. Bookings are essential and each sailing needs a minimum number of passengers, usually four adults on a return, before the operator confirms it.
From Back Beach, by the yacht club, a five-to-ten-minute walk east of Beach Street past the log yards. It does not use the main cruise ship wharf.
Yes. Manual and electric bikes pay the same $15 each way, and the rack takes up to 12 e-bikes at a time.
Book the ferry to the island from either Port Chalmers or Portobello. The boat normally collects you about two hours later on a sailing in the other direction; longer stays can be arranged.