Getting to Lyttelton by tunnel, bus, the Bridle Path or the ferry

Most visitors reach Lyttelton without ever seeing the hill it hides behind. You drive or ride through a two-kilometre tube of concrete and lights, and come out with the harbour in front of you and the port cranes below. It is a slightly magical arrival, but it is only one of four ways in, and the slower ones are worth knowing about.

This is our practical guide to getting to the town from Christchurch: the tunnel, the bus, the walking route the colonists used, and the short ferry hop that links Lyttelton with Diamond Harbour on the other side of the water.

The road tunnel

The Lyttelton Road Tunnel carries State Highway 74 under the Port Hills between Heathcote and the port. It opened on 27 February 1964 and is just under two kilometres long, with one lane each way and a 50 km/h limit. For more than half a century it was the longest road tunnel in the country, until Auckland's Waterview tunnels took the title in 2017.

A few things surprise first-time drivers. There are no footpaths and no cycle lanes, and cyclists are not permitted to ride through. Expect a steady stream of trucks heading to and from the port, especially on weekdays. The speed limit is enforced, and the tunnel can close briefly for maintenance or incidents, so if you are catching a ferry or meeting a ship, leave a margin.

The tunnel was built quickly by the standards of the day. Excavation began in 1961 and the bore was through by August 1962. It was paid for partly by tolls, which were scrapped in 1979. The tunnel itself rode out the 2011 earthquakes well, though the entrance canopy on the Heathcote side was wrecked by rockfall and the old control building had to be replaced. The Wikipedia article on the tunnel has the full engineering story.

If you prefer views to speed, you can also drive over the hill on Evans Pass Road via Sumner, or on Dyers Pass Road and the Summit Road via Governors Bay. Both are narrow and winding, and sections have been closed at times since the quakes because of rockfall risk, so check road status before committing.

By bus

Christchurch's Metro network runs a frequent service through the tunnel. Since September 2023 the route has been the Port to Port (8), which starts at Lyttelton or Rāpaki, runs through Heathcote and the central city bus interchange, and carries on to the airport. On weekdays it runs every quarter of an hour for much of the day. Older guidebooks and blog posts mention the route 28 and earlier numbers; those were replaced in the 2023 network changes.

The route ends in the lower town, a short walk from the waterfront and the ferry jetty, which makes a car-free day trip straightforward: bus in, walk the streets and the waterfront, take the ferry across the harbour, and bus home again. Christchurch buses carry bike racks on the front, which is the only legal way to get a bicycle through the tunnel.

Over the top: the Bridle Path

Before there was a tunnel or a road, there was the Bridle Path. It was cut over the crater rim in 1850 so that the Canterbury Association settlers arriving on the first ships could get themselves, their belongings and their animals from the port to the plains. It was rough and steep from the start, and the immigrants who toiled up it with their luggage complained loudly. For several years it was the main way in or out of the settlement, and today the route is a registered historic area with Heritage New Zealand.

The path still climbs from the end of Bridle Path Road in Lyttelton up to the crater rim and down the other side into Heathcote Valley. It gains about 350 metres from the port side, and the gradient is unrelenting, so take your time. At the top you can stand where the settlers had their first view of the Canterbury Plains, with the Southern Alps behind on a clear day. There is a memorial to the pioneer women of Canterbury beside the track.

A popular way to do it is one-way: take the bus to Heathcote, walk up and over, have lunch in Lyttelton and catch the bus back. It is a half-day outing for most people. The track is exposed to sun and wind and has no water, and like the rest of the Port Hills it can be closed during high fire danger in summer. The Christchurch City Council's Port Hills parks page has maps and links to current track information.

If you arrive by car and want only the view, drive to the Summit Road car parks near the top of the path and walk the last section to the crest. Mountain bikers use the track too, so keep an ear out on the descents.

Across the water: the Diamond Harbour ferry

The harbour itself is a road of sorts. A small passenger ferry runs between the Lyttelton jetty and Diamond Harbour across the water, and it is part of the Metro network, so the same Metrocard used on the buses works on board, and contactless cards can be tapped too. The crossing takes only a few minutes.

Sailings are frequent through the day on weekdays and somewhat less so at weekends, with earlier and later services carrying commuters. Prams, wheelchairs, dogs and shopping are welcome. The service can be disrupted by strong wind or swell, so if a nor'easter or southerly is blowing, check the timetable page before you set out.

The ferry makes an obvious first leg for a walk on the southern side of the harbour, or a lazy afternoon on the Diamond Harbour wharf watching the port at work across the water. We cover that side of the harbour in more detail in our visitor guide.

Boats to Ōtamahua / Quail Island are a separate service from the Lyttelton wharf; see our Quail Island story for what to expect.

Parking and arriving by car

Lyttelton is compact and steep, and parking on the main shopping streets fills up on fine weekends and on market mornings. There is parking near the waterfront and along the lower streets. The streets above the town are narrow, very steep and lined with residents' cars, so be considerate and avoid blocking driveways.

If you are visiting on a cruise ship day, expect more traffic and more people in the town. See our story on the working port for a sense of how the town and the port fit together.

Which way should you choose?

• Short on time: drive or bus through the tunnel. You will be in town within half an hour of the central city.
• Want a walk: do the Bridle Path one way, using the bus for the other leg.
• Want to see the harbour: pair the bus with a ferry crossing to Diamond Harbour.
• Want the views from a car: go over Evans Pass or Dyers Pass and around via Governors Bay, checking road status first.

Whichever way you arrive, the first glimpse of the harbour is one of the best in Canterbury. When you are ready to explore, our harbour walks story and the visitor guide pick up from here.