Larnach Castle Tour & Wildlife Cruise (Dunedin Shore Excursion)

Overview

Available languages

German

Chinese

English

Italian

French

Dutch

Spanish

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

Cancellation Policy

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

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.

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.

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Included

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.

3 hours • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Larnach Castle Tour & Wildlife Cruise (Dunedin Shore Excursion)

Pickup included

Reviews

4.86

22 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Worth the time and money!
paularI7809QI,
Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We 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
5.00
We 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
5.00
Our 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
5.00
We 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!
ONE WORD - BRILLIANT
196jaynej,
Mar 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Fantastic tour! Loved the Larnach Castle inside with our guide who was so knowledgeable and made the castle history and experience come to life. The Otago Peninsular Cruise was amazing, seeing the albatross chicks, a blue penguin, a bird feeding frenzy and the highlight were a pod of dolphins jumping and playing around the boat. Such a brilliant day. There was quite a bit of driving, up to the castle which afforded great views, down to the dock traveling a different route, and after the cruise back to the harbour, along the magical shoreline. All in all a fantastic day for our small taste of what Dunedin has to offer.
Great way to get to know New Zealand.
Michael W,
Mar 18, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Sightings of rare NZ fur seals snd the breeding ground for albatross were amazing. Learned a lot of history on the castle tour. Guides for both were exceptional.
Excellent Tour
Allison L,
Mar 16, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Both the castle tour and the wildlife cruise were excellent. We were able to see several albatrosses and seals.
Dunedin at its best!
Joanne T,
Mar 3, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
We would highly recommend this tour. Larnach Castle was beautiful, and Dave our guide was very knowledgeable. He gave a great commentary of the castle and its history. We grabbed a lite lunch in the castle restaurant and then headed on to the cruise portion of our day. Monarch tours then took us out on the bay and we were introduced to two different types of albatross and fur seals. There were a few blue penguins about, but they are fast little guys and hard to get a good glimpse of. The boat skipper did an excellent job in telling us all about the birds and sea life. We were on a cruise and the pick is at the port was flawless. Also there was no problem getting back in time.
Loved our day out in Dunedin.
Jane L,
Mar 1, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Larnach Castle certainly is a surprise and well worth visiting. Our tour guide's commentary brought the castle to life. Enjoyed the wildlife cruise and the weather made viewing the albatross easy. When the cruise finished we stayed on the boat for tea and biscuits as it took us back to Port Chalmers.
Highly recommend this excursion
krobinson9914,
Feb 24, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
We had a great time visiting the castle and on the wildlife cruise. The castle was beautiful and our guide was great - very informative. We saw dolphins, sea lions and blue penguins on the wildlife cruise.