Metro timetable, Monday to Thursday shown; Friday, weekends and public holidays switch automatically
Map – Diamond Harbour Ferry (Lyttelton)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult, one way (contactless bank card, Motu Move card or Metrocard) | $5.00 |
| Adult, one way, cash or EFTPOS (cash accepted until 22 November 2026) | $6.00 |
| Child 5-18, one way (Metrocard or Motu Move concession) | $2.50 |
| Child 5-18, one way, cash (until 22 November 2026) | $4.00 |
| Youth 19-24, one way (Metrocard or Motu Move concession) | $4.50 |
| Community Services Card holder, one way (concession on card) | $2.50 |
| Total Mobility card holder, one way (companion travels free) | $4.00 |
| Child under 5 | Free |
| SuperGold Card holder, after 9 am on weekdays (not 3-6:30 pm from 23 November 2026) and all day at weekends and on public holidays | Free |
| Bicycle (space depends on weather and passenger numbers) | Free |
| Standard ferry daily cap on card or contactless | $10.00 |
| Standard ferry weekly cap, Monday to Sunday | $50.00 |
Metro ferry fares, one way, paid on boarding with no booking. Until 22 November 2026 you can tag on with a contactless bank card or phone (Motu Move), a prepaid Motu Move card or a Metrocard, all at the $5 standard fare, or pay $6 in cash or by EFTPOS. Metro says Metrocard and cash stop being accepted on its services from 23 November 2026; from then the ways to pay are contactless and the Motu Move card, at the same fares as Metrocard. Concession fares need a Metrocard or a concession linked to Motu Move. Card fares include free transfers with Metro buses within two hours (if you start on the bus with a Metrocard, ask the driver to charge the ferry fare); cash and EFTPOS tickets do not. Black Cat says a Metrocard fare applies to one person only; extra people pay the standard fare. From 23 November 2026 Metro no longer carries SuperGold holders free between 3 pm and 6:30 pm on weekdays, and the concession has to be linked to a Motu Move account instead of just showing the card. All fares in New Zealand dollars (NZD).
The Diamond Harbour ferry is a route of Metro, the Greater Christchurch public transport network run by Environment Canterbury, with the vessels and crews supplied under contract by Black Cat Cruises. It shuttles across Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour between B Jetty on the Lyttelton waterfront and the jetty below Diamond Harbour village, a trip Metro times at 12 minutes outbound and 13 minutes back. Black Cat traces the scheduled service to 1888 and notes that the ferry stopped being the only practical link once the road around the harbour bays was fully sealed in 1967.
The boats have changed more recently than the route. Black Cat introduced the catamaran Black Diamond in May 2001, and in September 2024 added Black Pearl, a 16-metre catamaran built in Rangiora that the company says doubled the capacity of the service.
Because this is a Metro route, fares come from Metro's ferry table rather than from Black Cat's cruise prices, and nothing is booked in advance: you step aboard and tag on or pay. A standard one-way trip is $5 by contactless bank card, phone, Motu Move card or Metrocard, and $6 in cash until 22 November 2026. Metro says Metrocard and cash will stop being accepted from 23 November 2026, leaving contactless payment and the prepaid Motu Move card, part of the new national ticketing system, as the ways to pay. Card payments carry a free two-hour transfer to Metro buses, and bus route 8 is scheduled to meet the ferry at Lyttelton before running through the central city to Christchurch Airport.
Weekday boats start early and run closer together in the commuter peaks, Friday adds a late round trip, and weekends follow their own patterns. Public holidays are assigned either the Saturday or the Sunday pattern, and between Christmas and New Year the weekdays use the Saturday one.
Bicycles ride free when there is room, dogs on a lead are allowed, and Metro says wheelchairs and pushchairs fit on board. Black Cat adds that boarding ramps can be affected by the tide, that there is no public parking on the Lyttelton wharf, and that the walk from the Diamond Harbour jetty up to the shops is steep. Sailings may run a few minutes late when port rules make the ferry wait for large ships.
- Be at the wharf a few minutes before departure; vehicle loading usually closes earlier than walk-on boarding.
- Check the operator's service updates on the day — wind, swell and tide cancel or shift sailings, especially on exposed routes.
- Check which card or ticket the route takes: Auckland Transport's AT HOP works on some ferries and not on privately run ones.