Tara Ward finds out why she won’t be catching a public bus to Dunedin airport any time soon.
On a recent visit to Dunedin Airport to pick up a friend arriving from Auckland, the car park was full. I drove around, and around, and around again, desperately navigating row after row of cars, before finally finding an empty park that felt closer to Mosgiel than the terminal itself. It seemed like everyone in the south had driven to the airport that day, and it reminded me of the thought I have every time I make the 28.5km journey from central Dunedin to the airport by car, shuttle or taxi: why doesn’t Ōtepoti Dunedin have any public transport to the airport?
In cities around the world – and even in little old car-loving New Zealand – visitors arrive at the airport and jump on a train, bus or tram that takes them directly to the city centre. Public transport to and from an airport is a cheap, more environmentally friendly and accessible transit option that helps to lower road congestion and air pollution, and you don’t have to freak out about finding a park. What’s not to love? In case you’re planning a visit to or from Dunedin that involves the airport (you should, it just won an award), these are your current travel options:
Walk. If you are young, able-bodied, don’t have small children and are only carrying hand luggage, Google reckons it will take an easy, breezy six hours and 44 minutes (lol, optimistic) along 29km of country roads, state highway one and motorways to saunter from the airport to Dunedin’s city centre. There is no footpath. Godspeed.
Dunedin Airport lists the 30km walk as a transport option, but doesn’t recommend it (Screengrab)
Drive. If you do not have a car, you will have to steal one (or borrow or hire, if you insist on following the law). The drive takes around 25 minutes. If being dropped off at the airport, do not hug goodbye for longer than three minutes.
Private airport shuttle. This will cost upwards of $32 per person (it’s cheaper for students). You usually wait at the airport until they fill the van and then you’ll be dropped at your destination between 45 and 90 minutes later, having enjoyed a scenic tour of other passengers’ Dunedin homes that you never wanted to see.
An Intercity bus on its way to/from Queenstown or Invercargill. Buses leave Dunedin daily at 2.30pm, dropping you at the airport at 3.04pm. Heading into the city? You have two options: 11.45am or 12.04pm, so don’t bother landing after lunch. Online tickets cost between $10 and $33.
Taxi or Uber. An Uber costs at least $80, while several local taxi companies offer a fixed rate fare to/from the airport for between $70 and $89. If you’re feeling fancy, you can book a one-way limousine ride for $100.
Whatever option you choose, it will likely cost you a chunk of time and money – and that’s on top of regional flights becoming prohibitively expensive and fewer domestic seats and flights on offer. Cities like Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Nelson and Whangārei have regular public transport that runs directly from the city to the airport. Why can’t Dunedin – which proudly became an international airport again this year, and has seen a steady increase in public bus use over the past few years – do the same?
“Dunedin Airport really is out in the wops, which is why it has been difficult to get anything going, but I don’t think that’s any excuse to not try,” said Elliot Weir, who missed out on re-election to Otago Regional Council on Saturday. Trialling an airport bus was included in ORC’s 2024 long term regional plan (as part of a Balclutha to Dunedin route), until a $9 million government funding shortfall in November 2024 forced ORC to change several projects (which also included more frequent and later-running buses in Dunedin city).
Weir confirmed that ORC was still committed to trialling a thrice-daily Balclutha-Dunedin service that stops at Dunedin airport, as listed in ORC’s long term plan and regional public transport plan 2025 – but it won’t happen until ORC receives government co-funding. This means there is no determined timeline for the new airport route, other than it being included in the plan’s next six years of aspirations. “It simply didn’t get NZTA co-funding this time, thanks to a regressive and irresponsible Government Policy Statement for land transport that blindly prioritises cost-cutting over providing much needed services,” Weir said.
ORC already has bus routes that travel significant distances to serve the different needs of the Otago community, like the number one bus route that makes the 54km trip from Dunedin to Palmerston, three times a day. Weir added that the ORC transport team was continuing to investigate ways they could manoeuvre and add services despite the “difficult” funding environment, like introducing a community transport shuttle trial connecting Ōamaru and Dunedin.
“Ultimately though, to get a proper bus to the Dunedin Airport funded we will need the Government Policy Statement to change – whether that change is from this government or the next.”
Public transport services in regional New Zealand have been a bit shit for a while, and it looks like visitors and residents alike will need to rely on taking expensive private options to and from Dunedin airport for a while yet. Perhaps while they make their journey, they could sit back and think about all the North Island roads that recently received government funding, including this 24km of road that received $2.1 billion and this other road that received $2.2 billion. If that seems too petty, perhaps you could walk off your displeasure in a charming six-hour-and-44-minute stroll along state highway one. Let’s just hope your suitcase has wheels.