Australia / New Zealand Port Summary

[OzKiwiJJ]

After seeing a post elsewhere from someone who wanted to know if there were shuttle buses at the (unspecified) port I decided to put together a quick summary of the Australian and NZ ports.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/460b0ginwpvmjih/Australia and NZ Ports.pdf?dl=0

 

Let me know if there is anything else I should add, there are a couple of ports I don't know much about which need more info. So far I've just kept it to type of port (docked or tender) and info on shuttles or proximity to towns. Should I add more? 

[Cbtours]

14 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

After seeing a post elsewhere from someone who wanted to know if there were shuttle buses at the (unspecified) port I decided to put together a quick summary of the Australian and NZ ports.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/460b0ginwpvmjih/Australia and NZ Ports.pdf?dl=0

 

Let me know if there is anything else I should add, there are a couple of ports I don't know much about which need more info. So far I've just kept it to type of port (docked or tender) and info on shuttles or proximity to towns. Should I add more? 

Great info Julie 👏

[Ondine]

Yes shuttles are free at PI from Rhyll to Cowes.

 

At Port Lincoln you now have to walk to the end of the pier where you can catch a town shuttle bus for $6 adult return or $20 family. By the time you reach the end of the pier you are half way to town if you want to walk in.  In pre covid times the shuttles were free and came up to the ship.

You can also buy a Hop-on Hop-off bus ticket from the RSL club once in town which is $45 or $40 concession for a trip of 1hr 20min (total circuit time) which has 9 stops and covers a large area of the neighbourhood.

 

I have never seen shuttles in Tauranga although the last time there I did the Hobbiton tour.  Other times I have wandered around the town or walked around Mt Manganui.

[Ondine]

Good reference for people Julie.  Well done.

 

[Aus Traveller]

Great info Julie. I can add a few comments -

 

Albany - walk into town but it is uphill. Free shuttle.

Burnie - shuttle is free into town

Fremantle - shuttle bus from the terminal around the centre of Fremantle

[OzKiwiJJ]

28 minutes ago, Ondine said:

Yes shuttles are free at PI from Rhyll to Cowes.

 

At Port Lincoln you now have to walk to the end of the pier where you can catch a town shuttle bus for $6 adult return or $20 family. By the time you reach the end of the pier you are half way to town if you want to walk in.  In pre covid times the shuttles were free and came up to the ship.

You can also buy a Hop-on Hop-off bus ticket from the RSL club once in town which is $45 or $40 concession for a trip of 1hr 20min (total circuit time) which has 9 stops and covers a large area of the neighbourhood.

 

I have never seen shuttles in Tauranga although the last time there I did the Hobbiton tour.  Other times I have wandered around the town or walked around Mt Manganui.

When we were at Port Lincoln last month the shuttle buses were coming right up to the ship I think. We were on an excursion and excursion buses were loading on one side, and people were walking to other buses on the other side. 

 

I think there were Tauranga shuttle buses available on the Celebrity cruises we did pre-Covid but I can't recall if they were available on the Holland America cruise we did over Christmas. The new ferry was operating from just past the kiosk outside the wharf gates. We usually just walk to the Mount unless we're catching up with friends there.

[OzKiwiJJ]

13 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

Great info Julie. I can add a few comments -

 

Albany - walk into town but it is uphill. Free shuttle.

Burnie - shuttle is free into town

Fremantle - shuttle bus from the terminal around the centre of Fremantle

Thanks Evon, I've updated it.

[Aus Traveller]

3 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

When we were at Port Lincoln last month the shuttle buses were coming right up to the ship I think. We were on an excursion and excursion buses were loading on one side, and people were walking to other buses on the other side. 

 

I think there were Tauranga shuttle buses available on the Celebrity cruises we did pre-Covid but I can't recall if they were available on the Holland America cruise we did over Christmas. The new ferry was operating from just past the kiosk outside the wharf gates. We usually just walk to the Mount unless we're catching up with friends there.

We haven't seen shuttle buses in Tauranga. Our last cruise was a Princess one in February this year.

[Ondine]

I think the only buses coming up to the ship were the official excursion coaches.  If you wanted a shuttle then you had to walk to the "Red Shed" Visitor Information Centre to purchase your ticket which is at the end of the pier.  I believe at the end of the day some of the shuttle busses were permitted to drop the passengers off at the ship when things quietened down.  I was there in December and again last month.  There was a pod of dolphins at the Red Shed which kept people amused while waiting.

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

We haven't seen shuttle buses in Tauranga. Our last cruise was a Princess one in February this year.

Maybe it's just local buses now.

[OzKiwiJJ]

3 minutes ago, Ondine said:

I think the only buses coming up to the ship were the official excursion coaches.  If you wanted a shuttle then you had to walk to the "Red Shed" Visitor Information Centre to purchase your ticket which is at the end of the pier.  I believe at the end of the day some of the shuttle busses were permitted to drop the passengers off at the ship when things quietened down.  I was there in December and again last month.  There was a pod of dolphins at the Red Shed which kept people amused while waiting.

Could be. I must admit I wasn't taking that much notice as we were doing an excursion. I'll update it to mention the Red Shed.

Edited April 22, 2023 by OzKiwiJJ

[Ozwoody]

2 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

We haven't seen shuttle buses in Tauranga. Our last cruise was a Princess one in February this year.

When we were there just before 2019, we caught the local bus in from just outside the port.

As I remember it was a long ride.

[MMDown Under]

37 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

When we were there just before 2019, we caught the local bus in from just outside the port.

As I remember it was a long ride.

We caught local bus to town of Tauranga.  I don't recall it was a long ride.

[Aussieflyer]

Thanks Julie, this is very helpful. In Picton depending on what ship you are on you may not have a shuttle. Silversea docked right in the centre and although it is a working port, when we were there in 2019, they roped off a walkway for passengers - so it was very easy. We heard Princess was docked around the corner at the Log Port and needed shuttles into the town. Guess it might depend on the size of the ship docking for some places.

[Ozwoody]

27 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

We caught local bus to town of Tauranga.  I don't recall it was a long ride.

There were a lot of stops on the way, including a small shopping centre,.

Maybe it just seemed long because of the stops.

Still I would use it again, it was quite cheap, and we had plenty of time in the main town.😁

[Relaxing Robbies]

We docked at Geraldton on Coral Princess in March. It is a working port so free shuttles are provided into town. Paid shuttles around town were available from the free shuttle drop off point, but we did not use them.

[MMDown Under]

3 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

There were a lot of stops on the way, including a small shopping centre,.

Maybe it just seemed long because of the stops.

Still I would use it again, it was quite cheap, and we had plenty of time in the main town.😁

I had my best shop in NZ in Tauranga with its reasonable prices. 

[arxcards]

For Yorkeys, there is indeed a cost for the shuttle to Cairns, but the good news is it is only Royal/Majestic Princess, Ovation/Quantum of the Seas that are tendering there instead of docking. 

 

Port Douglas - no shuttle required

 

Newcastle - has a free shuttle to take passengers from the secure wharf over to Queens Wharf on the Harbour foreshore.

[arxcards]

Yes, Eden has a free shuttle, which will also bring you back if you don't feel like walking back down the hill.

[MMDown Under]

4 hours ago, Ozwoody said:

There were a lot of stops on the way, including a small shopping centre,.

Maybe it just seemed long because of the stops.

Still I would use it again, it was quite cheap, and we had plenty of time in the main town.😁

I guess I looked at it like a Cook’s Tour!

[lyndarra]

There's Oban, a tender port, on Stewart Island, NZ.

[Ozwoody]

5 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

I guess I looked at it like a Cook’s Tour!

Yes, we've used local buses at a few ports and it is a bit like that.

[MMDown Under]

2 minutes ago, Ozwoody said:

Yes, we've used local buses at a few ports and it is a bit like that.

I enjoy the shuttles from the airport for the

same reason.  See how the other half live!

[Ozwoody]

4 minutes ago, MMDown Under said:

I enjoy the shuttles from the airport for the

same reason.  See how the other half live!

Yes exactly, its interesting how similar things are around the world but different at the same time.

[boeckli]

There's also Timaru in NZ (a docking port as per my itinerary for Feb 2024).