The same East by West catamarans do two jobs on Te Whanganui-a-Tara. Most sailings are a commuter run between Queens Wharf and Days Bay: turn up, tap a card, $17 one way. A few go on to Mātiu/Somes Island, and that trip works the other way round: book ahead, pay a $42 return that includes the island's visitor fee, and come back on the boat named on your booking.
Current tables to 9 October (weekdays) and 10 October (weekends); new timetable from 11 October 2026, with schedule data to 21 November 2026 — checked 2 October 2026 East by West – Harbour Ferry Timetables from 11 October 2026 (PDF) · 2026-10-02
Going to Days Bay for the beach or Eastbourne's cafés, you need no plan at all: boats leave Queens Wharf from 06:10, you pay $17 on board or at the office, and the timetable changes on Sunday 11 October to seven sailings each way at weekends instead of four, and 16 each way on weekdays.
Going to Mātiu/Somes, you need a booking, a return ticket and a bag that passes inspection. The island fare, $42 for an adult, covers the visitor fee and a place under the island's visitor limit, and in exchange you accept a fixed time to leave.
Both trips are part of Metlink, Wellington's public transport network, though East by West sells the tickets and the Snapper card is not used.
Days Bay is a public-transport fare. Buy it at the Queens Wharf office when it is open, otherwise on board, by contactless card or EFTPOS: cash and Snapper are not taken, and East by West warns of possible surcharges. Children are 5 to 16 or holding a high-school ID; under-5s ride free but still need a ticket. SuperGold holders travel free between 9am and 3pm and after 6.30pm on weekdays, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. A 10-trip ticket covers no more than two people at once. GST inclusion is not stated by either.
Mātiu/Somes is sold only as a booked return, through East by West's website or the Queens Wharf office, and the price includes a $6 visitor fee that goes to DOC and the island's Kaitiaki Board. SuperGold holders pay just that fee, and under-5s go free with a booked ticket.
| Adult, one way | $ 17 |
| Adult, return | $ 34 |
| Adult, 10 trips | $ 110 |
| Child, Accessible or Community Connect concession, one way | $ 8.50 |
| Child or concession, return | $ 17 |
| Child or concession, 10 trips | $ 55 |
| Tertiary student, 10 trips | $ 83 |
| Adult | $ 42 |
| Child 5–16 | $ 24 |
| Connect concession | $ 24 |
| SuperGold cardholder (visitor fee only) | $ 6 |
Metlink fares from 15 May 2026, as published by East by West and Metlink, read 2 October 2026 Metlink – Wellington Harbour Ferry fares · 2026-10-02
The Days Bay run crosses Te Whanganui-a-Tara from the city waterfront to the eastern bays, where Days Bay and Eastbourne sit at the edge of East Harbour Regional Park. Boats bound for Mātiu/Somes call at Days Bay first, pick up passengers there, and then head out to the island, which is why East by West says the island takes longer from Queens Wharf than from Days Bay. On the way home they stop at Days Bay again before the city.
East by West uses three berths on Queens Wharf, opposite the FoxGlove restaurant, and tells you at the ticket office which one your boat is on. The office is on the road side of the Meridian Building, 55 Lady Elizabeth Lane; Metlink lists it as open 9am to 3pm on weekdays and closed at weekends in winter. For daytime sailings it suggests arriving half an hour early, and sales stop 10 minutes before departure.
There is no ticket office on the eastern side. Queue on the wharf next to the shelter, opposite The Pavilion café, and pay on board by card. Eastbourne village is a 15-minute walk away, and buses run there regularly. Mātiu/Somes passengers picked up here go straight out to the island, without the city leg.
After leaving Days Bay, everyone bound for Mātiu/Somes checks bags, pockets and prams for rodents, insects and seeds. Ashore you walk through the Whare Manuhiri, scrub your soles and stand on a disinfectant mat.
Island tickets carry a set departure from the island: Metlink says two hours ashore, East by West two to two and a half, with a longer weekend option. You can change or cancel online up to 12 hours before sailing.
Days Bay seats cannot be reserved; it is first come, first served, and groups of ten or more should let East by West know. Bike spaces can be booked free, and bikes with a booking board first.
High steps and steep gangways make every East by West ferry and wharf unsuitable for wheelchairs. Ring 04 499 1282 if you need help with heavy luggage or an e-bike.
DOC rents the historic Caretakers Cottage. Overnight guests travel on a separate drop-off sailing booked through East by West, and a ranger does their biosecurity check at the wharf.
Mātiu/Somes carries more history than its 24.8 hectares suggest. DOC lists a lighthouse, a human quarantine station, an internment camp, defence positions and an animal quarantine station; DOC first let the public onto the island as a reserve in 1995, and since a 2009 Treaty settlement it has belonged to Taranaki Whānui ki Te Upoko o Te Ika, governed by the Kaitiaki Board. Pest-free now, it shelters tuatara, kākāriki and little blue penguins, and DOC limits numbers on busy days.
Further up the coast, the boat to Kāpiti Island from Paraparaumu Beach is the region's other predator-free island trip, but without a public ferry: one DOC-authorised operator, a permit inside the fare, and a season that stops in July and August.
Yes. Days Bay sailings are first come, first served; only Mātiu/Somes trips and bike spaces are booked.
$17 one way or $34 return for an adult, and $8.50 one way for children from 5 to 16. A 10-trip ticket is $110 for adults.
Neither. Pay by contactless card or EFTPOS at the Queens Wharf office or on board.
Weekends go from four to seven sailings each way, starting at 09:00 from Queens Wharf, and the weekday afternoon boats move to new times.
It includes a $6 visitor fee passed to DOC and the Kaitiaki Board, and it is sold only as a booked return with a fixed time back.
Yes. Get off when the boat calls there; if you want to continue to the city later, buy a separate one-way ticket on board.
On the Days Bay boats, yes, free and on a lead. Pets are not permitted on Mātiu/Somes Island.