Larnach Castle Tour & Wildlife Cruise (Dunedin Shore Excursion)
Overview
Available languages
6 hours
Mobile ticket
Join our guide for a personalised tour of Larnach Castle and learn about Dunedin's early history along the way.
Enjoy stunning views of the Otago Peninsula, the Otago Harbour and our rugged coastline as your bus travels across it's volcanic countryside. Your guide will give a full commentary throughout your journey.
Hop aboard a special Wildlife Cruise experience and find out why Dunedin is known as the Nature Capital of New Zealand. Spot royal albatross, fur seals, historic lighthouses and so much more!
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
What To Expect
Larnach Castle & Gardens
Enjoy a personally guided tour through Larnach Castle. Hear the scandalous story of original owner William Larnach. Your guide will provide a full commentary about the building, it's construction and the beautiful art and antiques that are spread through each room. Following the tour you'll have 30-minutes to explore the stunning gardens or take tea in the Ballroom Cafe.
Otago Peninsula
During the tour your bus will travel across the Otago Peninsula. You'll enjoy great views of the Otago Habour and our rugged coastline. The trip will pass through quaint harbourside communities and great examples of NZ farmland.
Options
Larnach Castle Tour & Wildlife Cruise (Dunedin Shore Excursion)
Pickup included
What‘s Included
Complimentary Binoculars
Air-conditioned vehicle
Restroom on board
Complimentary Warm Jackets
We don't provide any food during the tour. Food can be purchased from the Ballroom Cafe at Larnach Castle.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
28 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Excellent tour. Castle, boatride and penguin add-on.
Climber34702089579,Mar 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent tour. Bus driver/guide is a longtime Dunedin resident. He provided a very knowledgeable and entertaining narrative. On return he spotted a large sea lion on the beach next to the road. stopped the bus and allowed us to film, despite it being late. Boat trip also very good. We spotted a flying albatross, along with a blue penguin and some seals. The penguin add on was also worth it. Not much to see on the nature walk, but the rehab enclosures are interesting.
The parts of tour we could do was good
Diane S,Feb 22, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00The Larnach castle tour was great. Unfortunately the wind was very strong so we couldn't do the wildlife cruise. We did go up to the Albatross Center and because of the wind we were able to see albatross flying around. I got a picture of 2 of them. This tour was much less expensive than the cruise ship tour.
Fun Day of History and Wildlife at Sea!
Donna M,Feb 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Had an amazing experience! Went to Castle and then on a boat ride and saw all kinds of wildlife! Great day!
Enjoyable and good value day out.
Richard J,Dec 14, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Good value tour which was tied in to our cruise ships itinerary so there was no fear of missing our back aboard time. Enjoyed walking round the beautiful Larnach castle grounds whilst other tour members took the guided tour of the castle itself with our knowledgeable guide and heard about its history. Afterwards the boat tour was nearly cancelled due to wind strength but fortunately went ahead in the end. We were lucky to get a close up encounter with a sealion along with brief sightings of a penguin and dolphin. Afterwards the boat took us back to the port where our ship was berthed.
A jam-packed tour.
Alan C,Dec 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Lanarch Castle was excellent. Beautifully restored. Then on to the Otago Peninsular. Rewarded by seeing lots of albatrosses flying around our boat. Totally unexpected. A real treat. Most highly recommended.
Small tours are the best
Margaret W,Nov 28, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00The size of the group was ideal for the castle tour and boat ride. The tour guide did a great job telling us about the castle and the families lives. Danny pointed out so many great things on the boat tour.
Worth the time and money!
paularI7809QI,Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did a combination tour: the cruise, the penguin preserve and the castle. Our main guide was awesome. Thanks Ross for sharing your knowledge!
Amazing tour and amazing day.
Jodie C,Jun 8, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the Castle to cruise + penguin tour. I had a fantastic day. Rob our guide was amazing . I loved listening to all the stories about the Larnach family and the history behind all of the buildings in Dunedin. On our cruise we seen the albatross flying above us and we saw a seal swimming in the ocean. Unfortunately the surf was very challenging on the day so we couldn’t leave the harbour but we had a great captain who was very experienced and tried his hardest to get as close to the coast as we could. I can say this tour was one of the best tours I have been on .
Lovely!
mikepC6879QC,Apr 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable, the sights were amazing, the tour well organised. If you have a spare 6-7 hours for this tour we’d definitely recommend it! We had a great time!
Great Experience!
Ken G,Feb 11, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We had a nice amount of time at Larnach Castle and were able to grab a bite to eat in the ballroom café. The whole grounds were lovely! The wildlife cruise was interesting, and the tour guides there were very good about helping us see a lot of different wildlife. Our tour guide Rob was excellent! Highly recommend!
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