Lyttelton Harbour Cruise

We were back in Lyttelton this weekend for a harbour cruise upon the steam powered tug boat - Tug "Lyttelton".

The boat was built in Glasgow and sailed to New Zealand to her owners, The Lyttelton Harbour Board, on 10th September 1907. She performed numerous duties before being retired in 1970 when the Tug Lyttelton Preservation Society recomissioned the ship for ferrying passengers.

We were lucky to be sailing on a beautiful Sunday afternoon and as we climbed on board we made our way to the bottom deck where we could see the glow of the fire and hear the shovelling of coal in preparation for departure.

Lyttelton is a small town with a population of just over 3000 and its hills are swamped with houses jostling for a view over the harbour.

The tug set off at 2.30pm and took 90 minutes to cruise out of the port and circumnavigate the harbour inlet towards the sea at times hugging the Banks Peninsula to deliver fantastic panoramic views before making its way back to dock.

It's well worth the $15 and highly recommended for a sunny Sunday afternoon.

All photos can be seen here.