Tap a Bee Card and pay $10, or a bank card and pay $14, and in 20 minutes you are across Lake Wakatipu's Frankton Arm. Orbus Ferries Queenstown runs daily from Queenstown Bay to the Hilton jetty at Kelvin Heights, calling at Bayview and Frankton Marina when someone waves, and since 20 October 2026 it has added half-hourly boats at busy times.
Orbus Ferries timetable in force from Tuesday 20 October 2026, no end date given; half-hourly sailings described by Otago Regional Council as a trial at peak times; checked 23 October 2026 Otago Regional Council – Queenstown Orbus ferries timetable · 2026-10-23
Plan the trip from the timetable, not from the map. Orbus Ferries leaves Queenstown Bay at quarter to each hour from 08:45 and the Hilton at quarter past from 08:15, so a commuter from Kelvin Heights can be in town by 08:35, and someone staying near Frankton can stay in town for dinner and still catch the 21:45 home.
Pay the cheaper way. A Bee Card is the same card used on Queenstown's Orbus buses and saves $4 on every crossing, but you have to buy it and put credit on it before the boat arrives. Without one, a contactless bank card works and costs $14.
Expect a small boat, not a big ferry. Each vessel takes 25 to 35 people, depending on which is running, and the boats do not take bikes. They have no toilets either, which matters less on a crossing that is over in 20 minutes.
Fares are single trips, whatever the distance: Bayview to the Marina costs the same as town to the Hilton. Load money on a Bee Card first and the trip is $10; tap a bank card or phone with the skipper instead and it is $14. Cash is not accepted, and there are no returns.
Unlike Queenstown's buses, the ferry has no concessions: children from age five, students and SuperGold holders all pay the adult amount, and Otago Regional Council's free bus-to-bus transfers do not extend to the boat. Under-fives ride free and do not need a card.
| With a Bee Card | $ 10 |
| With a bank card or phone | $ 14 |
Orbus ferry fares in Otago Regional Council's fare table and on queenstownferries.co.nz, read 23 October 2026 Otago Regional Council – Orbus fares, Queenstown ferry · 2026-10-23
From Queenstown Bay the boat heads east along the lake, calls at Bayview on the Kelvin Heights side, crosses to Frankton Marina on the north shore, then finishes at the Hilton jetty at Kawarau Falls. Run the other way, the order reverses. The whole trip takes 20 minutes on the timetable, and the operator says no journey is longer than 25.
The town-centre stop is at Steamer Wharf on Beach Street, where the Watersports kiosk sells and tops up Bee Cards; nothing of the sort happens on board. It is also where to ask about anything left on a boat. Turn up five to ten minutes before the boat in summer and on holidays: once the 25 to 35 seats are taken, nobody else boards.
The eastern terminus is the hotel jetty at Kawarau Falls, on the Kelvin Heights side of the Frankton Arm, facing Frankton. The Hilton's reception is the second place to buy or load a Bee Card. Boats start here in the morning, at 08:15, half an hour before the first one leaves town.
Both are request stops. Stand on the wharf and wave as the boat nears the 5-knot buoys; after dark, shine a phone light or torch.
Bee Cards are sold and topped up at the Watersports kiosk in Queenstown Bay or the Hilton reception, never on board.
Bikes are not carried on these small boats. A folded pushchair is fine, and the operator suggests one bag per person.
A dog travels free with a paying passenger, on a short lead; no crate is needed.
The ferries are not wheelchair accessible as standard, and there are no toilets, power points or wi-fi on board.
Bayview is the closest stop to the Kelvin Heights golf course, about ten minutes' walk away.
Two departures an hour now appear on the timetable for much of the day, and the reason is recent. From Tuesday 20 October 2026 Orbus Ferries added boats on the half hour at busy times, and Otago Regional Council's page describes them as a trial in both directions while keeping the underlying hourly pattern from 08:45 to the 21:45 last boat out of town. Treat the half-hour boats as a bonus until the trial is confirmed.
Lake boats elsewhere in Otago run on very different terms. On the Otago Harbour, the Port Chalmers to Portobello ferry sails only when booked, with a smaller boat, while the Manapouri water taxi to West Arm, over in Southland, is another lake crossing where you arrange the boat in advance rather than turning up.
Ten to Frankton Marina, and 20 to the Hilton jetty at the end of the line.
There is no reservation system. Turn up five to ten minutes before departure and pay on board; when the boat is full, wait for the next one.
$10 one way with a Bee Card, $14 with a bank card or phone. Children under five travel free; everyone older pays the full fare.
No. Only a Bee Card with credit or a contactless bank card is accepted.
The 21:15 from the Hilton, which calls at the Marina and Bayview and reaches Queenstown Bay at 21:35.
Every day of the year except Christmas Day, when the service stops.
No. The boats are small and bikes are not carried.