Until the end of November there is one way out to Ōtamahua/Quail Island and one way back: Black Cat's 10:15 from Lyttelton and the mid-afternoon return, which makes every visit a full day. From December to March a second pair of sailings around midday allows a half-day trip. A return costs $45 for an adult, booked in advance.
Black Cat's standing Quail Island schedule: one sailing each way all year, extra sailings December to March; checked 23 October 2026 Black Cat Cruises – Quail Island schedule and pricing · 2026-10-23
For most of the year the timetable makes the decision for you. Black Cat runs one boat to the island, the 10:15 from Lyttelton, and brings day visitors back in the afternoon, so a visit out of season fills the whole day. That leaves time for the walk round the island, a swim and a picnic, as long as you bring everything with you.
From December to March the pattern loosens. A 12:15 departure and a 12:30 return are added every day, so you can go for the morning and be back for lunch in Lyttelton, or arrive at midday and leave mid-afternoon.
Black Cat sells the trip under the Quail Island Adventures name, but in practice it is a ferry with a fixed timetable: you book a seat out and a seat back and spend the time between on a DOC reserve.
The price is for the round trip, even though the booking system makes you pick the outward and the return sailing separately. Under-fives travel free. Groups of ten adults or more have to split their booking or arrange it through the Lyttelton office.
Changes and cancellations are free up to 24 hours before check-in; after that, and for no-shows, there is no refund. If the skipper cancels because of the sea, you get your money back or move to another date.
| Adult, 16 and over | $ 45 |
| Child, 5–15 | $ 22 |
| Family, 2 adults and up to 3 children | $ 110 |
Black Cat's published Quail Island fares, read 23 October 2026 Black Cat Cruises – Islands, schedule and price · 2026-10-23
Ōtamahua/Quail Island lies in the inner part of Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour, which DOC describes as the flooded crater of an extinct volcano. From the port the ferry heads up the harbour to the island's wharf rather than straight across to the southern shore like the Diamond Harbour boat. The island covers 81 hectares and rises to 86 metres.
Quail Island boats use the same B Jetty as Black Cat's other Lyttelton services, reached over the footbridge from the township. Black Cat asks you to be there 15 to 20 minutes before sailing, and to leave extra time for parking on Lyttelton's streets, since the wharf has none and weekends get busy. Drivers with a mobility card can use the accessible spaces in the town.
The boat lands at the island's wharf, where the walkway starts and a shelter stands nearby. The steps up from the boat are steep, which is one reason Black Cat does not recommend the island to wheelchair users; the tracks are graded but can be muddy. DOC notes the wharf is not for overnight mooring by private boats.
Island water must be boiled before drinking. Carry enough for the whole group.
There are no shops or cafés on the island. The ferry sells snacks and drinks, nothing more.
The track round the island takes about two hours, with a shorter one-hour option past the shipwrecks, the leper's grave and the replica dog kennels.
Dogs, mountain bikes, fires and drones are banned, to protect the penguins and other wildlife. Only certified assistance dogs may come.
The island has been free of rats, possums, cats and mustelids since 2006. Check bags for stowaways and clean soil and seeds off footwear before you board.
DOC runs the 12-bunk Ōtamahua Hut and campsites at Whakamaru Beach and Skiers Beach. All must be booked through DOC.
Few places this close to a city carry so much history. The island was a quarantine station from 1874 and, from 1907, the site of New Zealand's only leprosy colony; Scott and Shackleton trained sled dogs and ponies there before their Antarctic expeditions, and eight wrecked ships lie along its western shore. Its Māori name, Ōtamahua, refers to gathering seabird eggs.
B Jetty is also the departure point for the Diamond Harbour ferry, the Metro commuter boat to the other side of the harbour, which runs all day without bookings and costs a fraction of the island trip. Auckland has its own city-harbour island day out in the Rangitoto Island ferry, where, as here, the time of the last boat back shapes the visit.
10:15 every day. From December to March a 12:15 is added, and overnight guests can also take a 15:15 boat.
The mid-afternoon one: Black Cat lists 3.30 or 3.40pm, and its booking calendar showed 15:40 in late October. December to March adds a 12:30.
$45 return for an adult, $22 for anyone aged 5 to 15, and $110 for a family ticket: two adults plus a maximum of three children.
Roughly a quarter of an hour, Black Cat says.
No. Dogs and mountain bikes are prohibited on the island; only certified assistance dogs are allowed.
Yes, in DOC's Ōtamahua Hut or at two campsites, booked through DOC. The booking gives you a discount code for the ferry.
Black Cat advises against it: the jetty steps are steep and the tracks can be steep and muddy.