Port Chalmers is a town with population of 1,460, located inside Otago Harbour in the Southern island of Zealand. Because of its deep waters, it has a major shipping port, Port Otago, that has two main cranes to onload/offload ocean containers. It also has the Port Chalmers Cruise Terminal, from which passengers disembarked from a cruise ship, to visit the nearby town of Dunedin. Our cruise boat came into port in the early morning. Tourists are escorted into a giant warehouse where they are separated into areas based on their destination. Of course, there is a staging area for cruise sponsored excursions, that is the first thing you notice (buses lined up ready to depart). Further in, you see queues for shuttles to take you into the center of Dunedin (it costs $10 USD for a round-trip journey which is about 25 minutes/25 kilometers) And then finally, there is an open area where you can exit to enter the town of Port Chalmers, or wait for a self-initiated excursion. Throughout the warehouse, there are guides in purple jackets being helpful to folks to make sure they go where they are supposed to. Going to Dunedin is worth the effort...estimated cost for a Uber was NZ$41.44...we took the shuttle whose tickets needed to be purchased ahead of time. Port Chalmers is trying to promote itself so people stop by instead of skipping it altogether. We did stop by after our trip to Dunedin, and it was a very easy walk to the town center and nearby retail shops. Note that they check the name on your cruise card to a picture ID when entering, so passport or driver's license is needed when you exit the ship. Also, New Zealand is very strict about not allowing any unsealed food from the ship from entering, and threatens large fines if caught. read more

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