Port Chalmers

Port Chalmers is a deep water fishing and cargo port for Dunedin, one of the main ports for the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Otago region. It is visited by several cruise ships each summer.

Understand

Port Chalmers, called "Port" for short by locals, is about 20 minutes by road from Dunedin and shares the same long, narrow, Otago Harbour. Only smaller ships can proceed past Port Chalmers to the wharves in the city centre.

The main streets of Port Chalmers and Dunedin are both called George St. The Port Chalmers one is numbered in the 5000s to avoid confusion, and all shops, cafes and services can be found along or near this street.

Port Chalmers Iona Church

Visitor Information

i-SITE Dunedin Visitor Centre, based at 26 Princess St in Dunedin, ☎ +64 3 474-3300. maintains a temporary office in the wharf when cruise ships are in port. 

Get in

Port Chalmers is most easily reached from Dunedin, unless you arrive by sea.

By car

State Highway 88 connects Port Chalmers to Dunedin; the turnoff is near the Dunedin Railway Station and Cadbury World. Allow twenty minutes to follow a narrow, very busy trucking route past the huge indoor Forsyth Barr Stadium, through the factory suburb of Ravensbourne and around curved causeways to the Port. There is also a narrow, winding but scenic and enjoyable route from Blueskin Bay.

By bus

Buses from Dunedin to Port Chalmers depart once or twice each hour from Countdown supermarket in Cumberland St, opposite the entrance to Cadbury World The bus fare is $4.70 (free for New Zealand Gold Card holders).

By ship

Cruise ships are an increasingly popular way to visit Dunedin. There are 80-90 visits each October to March shipping season. The Dunedin City Council provides free Wi-Fi at the port and runs a web page for cruise visitors . The two major cruise companies Carnival (P&O, Princess) and Royal Caribbean both serve Dunedin.

Seasoned cruise ship travellers will be aware that tourism products marketed directly to cruise ship passengers are often more expensive, so arranging visits to Dunedin attractions and tours independently can save money.

Cruise ship transfers to and from Dunedin
  • Cruise ship shuttle bus: These travel direct (20 minutes) and drop off and pick up in the Octagon in the centre of Dunedin for $10 one-way/$15 return. They may depart from the ship gangway or up to five minutes walk away, depending on the day's arrangements.
  • Public bus: For about five minutes further walk from ship side to the public bus stop in George St, these buses take 45 minutes with several suburban stops for $4.70 one-way (free for New Zealand Gold Card holders). The city terminus is at Countdown supermarket, opposite Cadbury World chocolate factory in Cumberland St.
  • Taxis cost about $45 one-way. Taxis depart ship-side and for the return to Port they are easily found on the side streets of most corners of George St, Dunedin's main shopping street.

By train

The Port Chalmers railway station is a trackside grassy patch in Ajax St above the centre of the town. The local scenic train 'The Seasider' operated by the Taieri Gorge Railway , ph +64 3 477-4449, can be booked to stop here.

By bike

Port Chalmers is connected to Dunedin by the Harbour Cycleway, but this stops about halfway, at St Leonards. From here cyclists can either share the highway with heavy trucks or take the former highway which winds along terraces higher up the shoreline.

Get around

See

Free
  • 🌍 Lady Thorn Dell (Access up the hill past the Iona Church.). Dawn to dusk. A rhododendron garden. Free, but donations welcome. 
  • 🌍 Iona Church. Local stone church, built between 1871 and 1885. 
  • 🌍 Holy Trinity Church. local stone church 
  • 🌍 Scott memorial, 6 Brailleys Track. a plaque commemorates Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Antarctic expedition and a viewing platform gives an impressive vantage point over the container port operations. 

Attractions
  • 🌍 Orokonui EcoSanctuary, 600 Blueskin Rd (on the scenic route between Port Chalmers and Blueskin Bay), ☎ +64 3 482-1755. Daily 09:30-16:30. Home to some of New Zealand's most fascinating and rare wildlife and providing visitors with exceptional experiences while allowing native flora and fauna to live naturally in a safe haven. A 307 ha enclosure inside an 8.7 km pest proof fence, it provides a chance to see Kaka, Tui, Bellbirds, Tuatara, Kiwi and more in a native setting. Offers daily guided tours and night tours twice a week. The visitor centre has free entry, but passengers on identified cruise ship tours are charged $5 for a mandatory tour. 

Do
  • Taieri Gorge Railway, ☎ +64 3 477-4449. A sightseeing train trip travelling through spectacular scenery. It departs from the cruise ship wharf and takes you on a journey through the rugged and spectacular Taieri River Gorge, across wrought iron viaducts and through tunnels carved by hand more than 100 years ago. Take your camera and lots of memory. The same company runs trips on the old Christchurch line as far as Palmerston, about 2 hours away; these can be booked to pick up at Port Chalmers Upper railway station (really a patch of lawn above the town in Ajax St). Cruise ship passengers may be charged a premium to travel by train from shipside; it can be cheaper to travel by bus to Dunedin and take the train from there. 

Buy

The New World supermarket on the port's main street George St, about ten minutes walk from shipside, has plenty of grocery lines to choose from.

Eat

Being NZ, fish and chips are the classic cheap eats. The chippy is on Macandrew Rd, opposite the main gate of the container terminal.

Carey's Bay Hotel, about 15 minutes walk in the next bay towards the harbour mouth, has a pleasant restaurant featuring local seafood.

Drink

Chick's Hotel has a regular pub band on Friday and Saturday nights.

Coffee

Sleep
  • 🌍 Mackies Hotel, 14 George St, ☎ +64 3472 8645. Has an old school Kiwi pub. (updated Jul 2018)

Connect

There is free Wi-Fi available in the port terminal building. Chairs and tables are limited.

Go next

By land

By ship

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