Shore Excursion: Dunedin City, Otago Peninsula, Castle Gardens & Olveston Tour

Overview

Available languages

English

6 hours

Mobile ticket

Start at Port Chalmers to experience the pure beauty of Dunedin on a fantastic tour of rich heritage, spectacular scenery.

You will experience memorable landscape of Otago Peninsula with amazing string of rugged beaches, bays on a Peninsula Drive via Highcliff Road to Larnach Castle. Your tour will include an entry to the garden only of the only castle of New Zealand - Larnach castle. You will stop at the world's steepest street, local lookout point to enjoy the views of city, peninsula and harbor, University of Otago - the oldest New Zeland university, Octagon, Dunedin Railway Station and internationally significant and the oldest botanic garden in New Zealand.

In addition you will join a 1 hour guided tour of Olveston historic home.

The tour is designed only for small groups, so you will enjoy flexibility and comfort in a small bus.

Important: this tour includes entry to castle garden only, to enter the castle building there is an extra cost $NZD20.

Additional Info

Specialized infant seats are available

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Suitable for all physical fitness levels

There are stairs to access first floor at Olveston historic home.

Cancellation Policy

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

What‘s Included

Driver/guide

Round-trip shared transfer

Air-conditioned vehicle

Port pickup and drop-off

Lunch

Food and drinks

Larnach Castle interior

What To Expect

Baldwin Street - World's Steepest Street!

A short stop to have a look or take a photo of Baldwin Street that used to hold a title of the steepest street in the world for the last 30 years

10 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Signal Hill

Marvel the panorama of Dunedin city and harbour and get a good idea of how city is laid out

10 minutes • Admission Not Applicable

Options

Including Olveston

Olveston instead of the train: This option doesn't include train trip. It includes a 1 hour guided tour of Olveston historic home.

Reviews

4.79

71 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Great shore excursion tour.
Charles C,
Apr 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Had a great time on this tour. Made the absolute most of our shore excursion in Dunedin. Our guide “Tree” was great. She shared a ton of local and general information and was very conscious of our timeline and making sure were able to see the most possible during our time ashore. Thanks for a great day!
Fantastic day in Dunedin!
Sandra C,
Apr 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We visited Dunedin while on our cruise. The pick up was quite easy from the Port where the ship came in at Port Chalmers. Theresa was there with a sign to make sure we didn’t miss her! We had a great day traveling around Dunedin learning about the people, the place and her own experience living in Dunedin! We visited the Botanic Gardens, The steepest street, Olveston house and other wonderful scenic sites! We had an awesome day thanks to our awesome guide Theresa!
Worth doing
Stephen A,
Apr 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
A great way to see Dunedin highlights in a few hours, especially Olverston House and panoramic harbour views. Our driver and guide Teresa was very friendly and knowledgeable.
Good
Christina F,
Apr 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Good Tour! We were picked up at the port punctual. Our tour was quite private, with a small bus and only 6 persons. That was Great so we had enough time at every stop and we were more flexible. The drive around the City was interesting, we saw everything we wanted to. The return to our ship was punctual as well. We had the same experience as with the Cruise Ship Tour but for a lot less money.
Shore Excursion: Dunedin City, Otago Peninsula, Castle Gardens & Olveston Tour
Doris A,
Mar 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
4.00
Olveston historic home was a highlight, very interesting. The scenic drives and overlooking the area was stunning. We enjoyed the Larnach gardens stroll. Short on time to do everything, like visit inside the churches. Drive by Otago. If you want to see wildlife pick a different Otago peninsula focused tour.
Dunedin tours
Kylie G,
Mar 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We just had a tour with Fantail Tours in Dunedin New Zealand, Asta she was an amazing tour guide for a Lithuanian she didn't have a strong Kiwi accent. 🤣 . She lives and works there for the past 15yrs and is more knowledgeable than most other native born guides. The weather was terrible but Asta adjusted the tour to accommodate the bad weather. So we went indoors while the clouds opened and outside when it wasn't so heavy rain. Asta was an amazing tour guide and will definitely try to return to see the city when it's fine.
Dunedin tour
Dianne T,
Mar 22, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
Warren was a fabulous guide. He showed us so many sites around the city and the surrounding land. He shared history, plants, trees, animals and culture. It was a great tour.
Excelent
Avraham R,
Mar 17, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We got an excelent tour including special care for individual needs. Terry was wonderfull , professional and an excelent driver
Must-do in Dunedin
Gail T,
Mar 9, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
We had a wonderful small group (4 people) tour with Scott. We easily found the tour company at the port and were on our way within minutes. Scott was extremely knowledgeable, personable and accommodating . He gave us a fantastic tour.
Great day! Great tour guide!
George N,
Feb 27, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
You should be prepared to walk around with your mouth hanging open in awe! Dunedin is an amazing place with beautiful scenery. Our guide, Asta, provided a running commentary of our journey through Dunedin and the surrounding areas. We learned about the history, culture, and nature. We had an appropriate amount of time in each stop, neither feeling rushed or waiting. The tour covered more sights than many others that are out there. This made the tour particularly attractive and interesting.