Dunedin Nature & City Tour – Full Day Cruise Excursion

Overview

Available languages

English

Mobile ticket

This is a tour by bus around some of the main attractions of Dunedin. It is aimed at cruise ship passengers and only runs on cruise ship days

The tour stops at all locations mentioned with a chance to get off and have a walk around.

Comfortable vehicles and a commentary is provided.

A full refund will be offered if at the conclusion of the tour the customer is dissatisfied with any part of the experience that is within the operator's control so long as the issue is raised first with the operator before any third party. (Subject to tripadvisor complying with operator request)

Additional Info

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Public transportation options are available nearby

We can usually accomodate wheelchairs and prams in the bus but person must sit on a seat in bus.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Air-conditioned vehicle

Lunch

What To Expect

Port Chalmers

We drive through the historic town of Port Chalmers option to stop on return.

Admission Not Applicable

The Octagon

See the central area of Dunedin

25 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Tour with castle (self pay)

Larnarch Castle visit: Visiting Larnarch Castle with self paid entry. (Client pays Castle entry fee at the gate, online or at isite)
Pickup included

Later cruise ship arrival time

Pickup included

Nature and City tour from Port

Duration: 5 hours: 10am - 3.30pm
Port pickup: Pickup from Port Otago at Port Chalmers, tour of Dunedin and then return to the cruise ship terminal at Port.
Bus
Pickup included

Reviews

4.43

67 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

A good overview of Dunedin and surrounds
Navigate770753,
Nov 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
The tour provided a good overview of Dunedin and surrounds. We took the Lanark Castle option which was well worthwhile. There were no parts of the tour that we felt weren't worth seeing and our guide David provided an informative commentary throughout. Given the time constraints of a cruise stopover the tour was well managed and value for money. Would recommend.
Overview of Dunedin
Betty N,
Nov 5, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
It was a wonderful excursion . Our driver David was great. We saw a lot of sights and got a good overview of the city. Thanks David
Superb tour, fantastic guide, worth every penny.
deaf2705,
Apr 10, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had Rob as our guide/ driver. He's a retired music teacher. What a fantastic guide. Probably best guide we've had in years. His knowledge of Dunedin was second to none. He knew his city like the back of his hands! He took us on a fantastic tour, providing with both relevant, factual & fun information. It is absolutely worth every penny. Book this tour directly, folks. It'll save you a fortune over cruise ship prices. Don't let the cruise lines dupe you into believing you'll miss the ship. The tour company gets you back in ample time. Go for it. You won't regret this.
Dunedin intro
samanthaa2310,
Apr 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
A good introduction to Dunedin. Visited the castle/house and a nice beach view too. Walked up steepest st in world- only a few did this. Overall really enjoyed it. Driver very knowledgeable
Great Tour but some people were tardy on returning to bus.
chuckpE1389BS,
Mar 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great Tour, booked through VIATOR. Ryan was our guide and was great and went above and beyond. There were a couple of groups who were habitually late at most stops and at one, the botanical gardens, he had to run around and find them and pick them up at a different spot than told to. Kept his cool even though most people on the bus were upset. It reduced the time at some stops.
BEST driver and excellent tour!
tharpcheryl,
Mar 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We had a fabulous day exploring Dunedin, mostly due to our wonderful driver, Ryan! He made a great day out of a bad weather day for all of us! We saw the highlights of the city, spotted some sea lions on the beach, and walked to the top of the steepest street in the world, all while having a great commentary from a real down to earth guy. We would highly recommend this tour with Ryan!
Amazing tour 5 stars!
tdw91,
Mar 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Fantastic value for money tour, even tho the weather wasn’t ideal we had a great time and still got to experience a lot of Dunedin. Our Tour guide Ryan was awesome! Glad we booked this tour perfect for when in town on a cruise ship!
Exploring New Zealand is probably the busiest tour operator in Dunedin
jaymca,
Mar 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
Only complaint is that the tour guide/driver gave away the seats that my 71-year-old mother and I had already occupied at the start of the tour to another couple that joined the tour later on. We were not informed ahead of time that the tour bus was fully booked. Otherwise, we would have left our coats on our seats before exploring the first stop (Dunedin Railway Station + Toitu Otago Settlers Museum). It's also absolutely unfair to give preferential treatment to guests who arrived after us. My mother was very angry. "Exploring New Zealand" is one of the biggest tour operators at the cruise terminal in Port Chalmers and hosted several different tour groups that day. Despite that, the staff (in bright pink vests) were pretty organized (assigning people to the correct tour via colored stickers) just as long as you checked in with them early. You can also purchase passes to Larnach Castle during check-in at the cruise terminal (although given only 30 minutes there, I opted to only buy cheaper garden admission at the site itself). As a warning, this Nature and City Tour follows the itinerary listed on Tripadvisor and Viator, NOT the one listed on their own site. And the order of locations visited can vary depending on the guide/group. Good shore excursion at a good value too.
Dunedin excursion from a cruise
Jim D,
Mar 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Dave our driver was very informative and accommodating. Made the days excursion very relaxed and enjoyable. Would highly recommend.
Panoramic tour
992moniw,
Feb 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00
It was a very nice tour. Ryan told us a lot, unfortunately we didn’t understand so much as our English skills are not so good. We can definitely recommend it.