Stewart Island Ferry: Bluff Timetable, Fares, Flights From Invercargill

The Stewart Island ferry is RealNZ’s passenger catamaran from Bluff, about 30 km south of Invercargill, to Oban, the island’s only town: about an hour across Foveaux Strait, every day of the year, with two or three sailings each way depending on the season. On GetYourGuide it is from US$78 a person (checked October 2026); RealNZ’s own fares start at NZ$139 (October 2026). The alternative is a 20-minute flight from Invercargill Airport with Stewart Island Flights.

Illustration: a white passenger catamaran crossing a grey-blue strait in daylight, an albatross gliding low behind its wake, the hills of a large forested island on the horizon — Illustration. Mollymawks, a kind of albatross, often follow the boat across the strait.

The timetable

RealNZ’s timetable for the 2026-27 season, which it calls indicative (the booking calendar has the final times for your date):

From	Departing Bluff	Departing Oban
1 October 2026	9:15, 17:30	7:30, 16:00
1 December 2026	9:15, 14:00, 17:30	7:30, 12:00, 16:00

Some departures do not run on Christmas Day. Check in 30 minutes before the sailing; the check-in and boarding gates close 10 minutes before it. The Bluff terminal is the Stewart Island Experience Visitor Terminal, 21 Foreshore Road; in Oban the ferry uses the Stewart Island Visitor Terminal.

Map of how to get to Stewart Island: the ferry from Bluff ferry terminal to Oban across Foveaux Strait, about one hour, and the flight from Invercargill Airport to Ryan's Creek aerodrome near Oban, 20 minutes, with Invercargill to the north — The ferry leaves from Bluff; the plane from Invercargill Airport, which is closer to the city. The flight line is drawn straight, for illustration only.

Fares, bags and the crossing

Fares. RealNZ’s own site starts at NZ$139 and offers about 28% off the return leg when you book both ways (October 2026); the calendar above shows the price in your currency.
Luggage. The ferry company’s own page gives the allowance as two checked bags plus one small carry-on a person, with additional luggage by prior arrangement. That extra baggage service is not available on every sailing, as the boats have little cargo space.
On board. Complimentary tea and coffee and, weather and staffing permitting, a commentary past Dog Island Lighthouse, Ruapuke Island, the Tītī (Muttonbird) Islands and Mount Anglem, the island’s highest point.
No cars. The ferry carries passengers and light freight only. Cars, minivans and e-bikes can be hired in Oban.
Weather. If a sailing is cancelled for weather, you are rebooked on a later one or refunded in full. Foveaux Strait can be rough; the ferry company’s advice is ginger taken beforehand, not travelling on an empty stomach, and sitting outside on the back deck looking at the horizon.
Wheelchairs. Wheelchair access appears among the inclusions on GetYourGuide, but the ferry company’s own page says it is unable to offer wheelchair access and asks you to get in touch. Call 0800 656501 before booking.

Check ferry sailings and prices →

Getting to Bluff

By car. Invercargill to Bluff takes around 30 minutes, Queenstown to Bluff around 3 hours 5 minutes, and Dunedin about 3 hours 30 minutes (RealNZ). Parking is next to the Bluff terminal, for cars, campervans, motorcycles and more, at an extra cost: you take a ticket on entry and pay when you leave, and it cannot be booked ahead.

By coach. RealNZ runs a coach between Invercargill and Bluff that meets every ferry, at extra cost, with pickups from several Invercargill hotels, the airport and the city centre outside Tuatara Backpackers. Choose the “Invercargill to Bluff” trip when booking, or call RealNZ on 0800 656501. This is the usual answer to “Stewart Island tours from Invercargill”: coach, ferry and a tour on the island, booked as one trip.

Can't Make These Dates?

Browse More Available Options

Find a tour that fits your schedule. Dates and cancellation terms are on each listing.

Flying instead

Stewart Island Flights calls itself the only commercial operator with regular scheduled flights to the island all year. The flight takes about 20 minutes from the main terminal at Invercargill Airport, in planes of nine passengers, with check-in 30 minutes before; a courtesy coach takes you from the island’s airfield to the company’s depot in Oban. It suits travellers who fly into Invercargill or who would rather skip the strait. Its fares are on its own booking page.

A day trip or a night?

A day trip works on the summer timetable: the 9:15 from Bluff arrives around 10:15 and the 16:00 leaves Oban in the afternoon, enough for the Village and Bays tour and the Ulva Island walk and cruise. RealNZ’s Rakiura in a Day packages bundle two tours with the return ferry, from NZ$449 (October 2026). The kiwi walk is different: it leaves in the evening and returns late at night, long after the last ferry, so it needs at least one night on the island. RealNZ suggests two to three nights for most visitors. The kiwi tour explains the night.

See the ferry calendar →

The timetable, terminals, check-in, fares, luggage, commentary, cars, weather policy, seasickness advice, wheelchair note, driving times, parking and coach are from RealNZ’s Stewart Island ferry page and its Stewart Island page; the flight from Stewart Island Flights’ own site; the GetYourGuide price and inclusions from the listing, read in US dollars on 30 October 2026. All read in October 2026.