Dunedin Tours
Dunedin City Highlights, Otago Peninsula Scenery & Albatross Guided Tour
4.5

Dunedin City Highlights, Otago Peninsula Scenery & Albatross Guided Tour

By Fantail Tours
Recommended by 90% of travelers
90% of reviewers gave this product a bubble rating of 4 or higher.
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Ages 0-99, max of 15 per group
Duration: 6h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More


  • Bottled water
  • GST (Goods and Services Tax)
  • Entry/Admission - The Royal Albatross Centre
What's not included
  • Lunch


Start:Multiple meeting point options.
  • Option 1
    Dunedin isite Visitor Information Centre, 50 The Octagon, Central Dunedin, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
    Non cruise ship passengers meet Fantail Tours guide at the Octagon, outside Dunedin Visitor Centre
  • Option 2
    Port Chalmers Wharf, 19 Beach Street, Port Chalmers 9023, New Zealand
    Meet at Cruise terminal, private tour waiting area, close to door 2
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point.

    • Not wheelchair accessible
    • Stroller accessible
    • Near public transportation
    • Infant seats available
    If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 57853P16

    • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
    • Most travelers can participate
    • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
    • This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
    • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

    • All sales are final and incur 100% cancellation penalties.

    If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 57853P16

    From
    $171.47
    per adult
    Select date and travelers

    Similar experiences

    Itinerary
    • 1
    • 2
      Pass by
      Otago Peninsula
      Otago Peninsula
    • 3
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    About the operator
    Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
    • Fantail Tours
      180
      Dunedin, New Zealand
      Joined in August 2017
    • Arunachalam A
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A great 👍 trip to New Zealand
      Found rare wildlife in Dunedin and thrilled to see them live. Wow! They are calm and easy to watch. Travel guides explained geography, geology and ecosystems of these species. Lovely trip to see them. Weather and nature also helped me to explore these wonderful opportunities. A great trip to New Zealand 😁👍 My tour operator took care of everything on transportation, foods and commentary. It was enjoyable to see and enjoy cultures, history and heritage, nature all in one go. Fantastic New Zealand
      Written November 4, 2024
    • Mark_Bath_UK
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Very enjoyable tour of Dunedin and surrounding area
      A very enjoyable tour and overview of the area with Asta, our tour guide. We visited all of the places in the itinerary and some more besides. The highlights were the Botanic Gardens, the drives to and from the albatross centre and just talking with Asta who is just a natural at her job. This is an ideal tour if you need an introduction to the area or if you just want to take some great photos.
      Written September 29, 2024
    • B2124KUnatalias
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      If you are limited with time, and don't want to drive!
      I had very limited time and wanted to get an idea of Dunedin. Booking was easy: I reserved my spot several hours before the tour. I was lucky to be the only tourist on this tour. Asta, my guide was ready to tailor the experience for me, acting as my photographer since I was traveling solo. Thanks to her, I now have some great photos to memorize my experience. Asta took me to all the advertised places. our stops were short, but that's the point - just to familiarize myself with the city and to get an idea of where I want to return and spend more time. Thank you!
      Written September 21, 2024
    • 636marilynh
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      A Great Tour of Dunedin and the Otago peninsula
      Asta was a superb tour guide. She was very knowledable of the history, scenery, and birds, The visit to the Royal Albatross Centre was very informative. She read the interests of our group and planned our tour to meet those needs. We would have loved to spend an extra day with Asta learning about the area, but our ship was leaving!
      Written April 30, 2024
    • Gill H
      0 contributions
      1.0 of 5 bubbles
      Due partial refund still
      Not giving full refund when we didn't cancel trip but ship unable to dock due to high winds & couldn't get into port for us to do trip
      Written April 29, 2024
    • Lisa S
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Loved the OPERA
      Theresa was a great guide! She showed us the best of Dunedin, got us to the penguin reserve where we were in great hands, and even got to spot a couple of penguins! We had a great day in Dunedin thanks to Fantail Tours and Theresa.
      Written April 6, 2024
    • TammyL463
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Definitely would recommend for scenery and the guide
      The bus driver was easy to find at the meeting point. She did a great job showing us around the area. You could tell from her enthusiasm that she really loved her job and the area. I am sorry I cannot remember her name but her husband does tours through the company as well. During our 2 week cruise she was by far the best tour guide that we had. She even extended the time of the tour to ensure that we were able to see everything that she wanted to show us and gave us a flower that she made herself when we left. The penguin reserve was nice. There is a lot of walking over uneven surfaces. I don't think they really see the yellow eyed penguins very much because there are only a few. We did though see one small blue penguin in his house. The guides that showed us around were very good and knowledgeable. The scenery was breathtaking.
      Written April 6, 2024
    • Michael-HKG
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Fabulous tour of a beautiful town
      This was our first stop off a NZ Cruise and imo also the best town and tour! Thank you Teresa for a well informed tour of your beautiful city and its surrounding. Teresa was fun and caring and had very good in depth knowledge of the area.
      Written March 31, 2024
    • pigswilltravel
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Recommend
      Our tour was beyond excellent. Steffan is a wealth of knowledge of this area, he knows the insights of all the beautiful locations, and this tour has great balance of history and modern understanding. Larnach Castle and Olveston house has amazing history, the train station stunning and the beautiful scenery is to die for highly recommend this tour.
      Written February 28, 2024
    • Camper429286
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour and Tour Guide!
      Paul was our tour guide and did a wonderful job explaining the history, of the area and the Castle and Olveston home. The tour was well paced, fun and informative. I highly recommend it !
      Written February 26, 2024
    • kc96734
      0 contributions
      4.0 of 5 bubbles
      Nice tour of Dunedin and peninsula and olveston
      Tour was as described. Tour driver met us at cruise port and returned us there, so very easy transportation wise. Loved olveston house. While beautiful, the views from larnach castle were just okay, because vegetation obstructed what we could see from the garden. Only downside was comfort of the van.
      Written February 24, 2024
    • Craig S
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Thumbs up in Dunedin
      Packed a lot into six hours, yet was casual and flexible. We were off a cruise ship with an itinerary that ran into mid-afternoon so our guide pulled into a grocery store and we all grabbed lunch. Guide was a 20 year resident. Very knowledgeable. Don’t recall a question he couldn’t answer. Definitely recommend this excursion for anyone wanting an overall intro to Dunedin
      Written February 15, 2024
    • Wander02759492955
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great private tour, payment issue from cruise ship
      We are a group from USA and Taiwan that traveled via cruise to Dunedin. We arranged a private tour via emails with Asta while we were on the ship. She was very prompt in answering and working with us to make the excursion possible. There was some payment challenges which almost ruined the tour and I will get to that later. Keith was our guide and he was absolutely wonderful and a delight to be with. With his knowledge, time management and flexibility, we hit pretty much all major city highlights and points of interests including castle garden & its lunch cafe during a 5 hours span. Concerning payment, I would recommend Fantail Tours to have an alternate payment method in addition to just the “invoice page website”, because for two days we couldn’t figure out why the payment website shows as blank on mobile phones, iPad and laptops with our cruise ship Internet package. We almost cancelled the tour. Eventually we had to upgrade to premium Internet package to make the payment page showed up correctly. While ship was cruising, we can’t make voice calls and email was insecure to give credit card info. So this is one area for improvement.
      Written February 14, 2024
    • marciaw224
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great visit to Dunedin and Otago Peninsula
      Teresa was a fantastic guide on our excursion. Very personable, including a great sense of humor. The trip was well thought out, showing us many sites in and around Dunedin and Otaga Peninsula. She took great care of us, ensuring we all had food for lunch. She was very knowledgeable about the history, flora and fauna. Simply said, Teresa and tour were great.
      Written February 14, 2024
    • daniellG9675RT
      0 contributions
      5.0 of 5 bubbles
      Great tour
      Tour guide is fantastic. Scenery amazing and places of interest are interesting. Vehicle is a mini-bus that fits all passengers comfortably. Great time spent and even though it is not cheap it is well worth it if you only have a day in Dunedin
      Written February 13, 2024
    See all 180 reviews
    These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

    Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

    Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

    Popular mentions

    4.5
    4.5 of 5 bubbles11 reviews
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    These reviews have been automatically translated from their original language.
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    1783058328365
    Dallas, Texas15 contributions
    2.0 of 5 bubbles
    Mar 2024 • Couples
    Our tour guide was great, and it was a privilege to tour the beautiful Dunedin region. However the transport van was a rental, and terrible. Smelled deeply of smoke the whole day... Smallish windows blocked somewhat by mechanisms, and the audio system was poor. Had to crane my neck to see the sights and was sickened by the permeated cigarette smell. Provider should do better! Noticed that another tour group of theirs had a perfectly lovely touring van, but not our group. Also box lunches should be provided rather than stops at supermarket. And one lady in our group wanted to stop at the pharmacy so we got pretty delayed because of "stops" and we missed the beginning of our paid in advance albatross center tour. That was unfortunate for us. Guests should find their own way to the pharmacy, which is right in Port Chalmers. So there are some improvements that should be made by this tour provider. I thank you for a good guide and safe journey around Dunedin!
    Written March 11, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for your feedback which is very important to us while we look and and evaluate this season and look into how we can improve the experience for the coming year. We are very sorry to hear about the van that we rented on the day. It is illegal to smoke inside vehicles in NZ so we will request it to be investigated. On cruise ship days when thousands of people arrive, we occasionally hire a van (Toyota Hiace for 10-12 people to carry) to accommodate all of our visitors. Vans to carry passengers have to be certified for passenger service and there has been only one provider in Dunedin for this. While Toyota Hiace smaller vans allow you more flexibility with the itinerary, getting closer to the sights they do have smaller windows than our bigger buses. Vans of this type are used by many tour companies in Dunedin. Since it is out of our control what quality of vans or buses our supplier provides we will not be relying on their service in the future, even if it means turning down our customers on busy cruise ship days. We have started using a bigger vehicle with bigger windows - Toyota Coaster mini bus for our tours. We agree with you regarding the pharmacy stop, even though it was a very kind and caring gesture of the tour guide, he/she shouldn't have delayed the whole group and could have planned for it better. We will discuss this matter with our guides. We will take into consideration what can be improved about lunch on our busy day tours. Glad to hear you enjoyed our tour guide!
    Written March 28, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Kathy M
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Nov 2023 • Family
    Fan Tail Tours gave a fantastic tour of Dunedin. We were a couple but only had 8 persons on our tour. Trii, our guide (short for Teresa) was so thoughtful and prepared for all the weather elements even offering binoculars for viewing. Our tour was fast moving and we stopped just long enough for photo stops at great views the big tour busses can’t make. Quick tour of botanical gardens then went to Royal Albatross Center. Great option compared to cruise excursions and made certain we were delivered right back to our ship’s gangway on time.
    Written November 20, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for your feedback. We are very happy to hear you enjoyed your time in Dunedin with Teresa.
    Written November 22, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Kiwi-Reds
    Auckland, New Zealand15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2023
    Cruised into Port Chalmers. Our wish list item was to go to the Albatross colony at Taiaroa Head. This was the only tour we could find that took that in. First did a tour around the town taking in the university and Baldwin street, the botanical gardens etc. Then headed our the peninsula going along the highroad then down to the main road out to the Albatross centre. We were dropped there and the rest of the tour went on to the Penguin Place. We had an hour tour learning about albatross and seeing them for ourselves. Then had a half hour to ourselves to either get some lunch or just check out the area. Trii our driver picked us up first and stopped at a nice beach area where we had our lunch and then took us to pick up the rest of the group at the penguin place. Then we drove back into town via the Railway station then back to the ship.
    Would highly recommend this trip. Trii despite not being a born and bred local was very knowledgeable. The van was tidy and there was sanitiser and hand wipes available and we were also provided with a bottle of water each.
    Written January 22, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for your feedback. We are glad to hear you enjoyed our thoughtfully designed itinerary that includes City Highlights and Otago Peninsula Scenery with a wildlife option to add on. It is a great way to get a good introduction to this beautiful place while having only one short day for a visit.
    Written January 23, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Petey126
    Milwaukee, WI178 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2023 • Couples
    We had a wonderful tour today with our driver, Ross. He took us everywhere on the itinerary, and added a few sites for us. I like that he frequently would stop and let us out of the van to enjoy the wonderful views. He was full of knowledge, and always kept us informed, he was a wealth of knowledge. we enjoyed everything, particularly the albatross center. Thank you Ross.
    Written February 1, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for your feedback. We are very happy to hear that you enjoyed Ross's guiding. I couldn't agree more, Albatross center is not to be missed, the only mainland colony in the world!
    Written February 2, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    JessM
    Wellington, New Zealand15 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Jan 2021 • Couples
    Loved this tour of Dunedin and would highly recommend to anyone visiting Dunedin even if you have visited before .
    We had Asta as our tour guide and she was truely fantastic . Very knowledgeable about the area, and tailored the trip to suit us ( my Mum and I ). She also told us about other sights in Dunedin worth a visit which made our stay even better.
    Written January 22, 2021
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you, Jess for sharing tour feedback. It was my great pleasure to show you Dunedin and Otago Peninsula. It makes me very happy to hear you enjoyed Dunedin area!
    Written January 23, 2021
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    WkndTrekker
    Toronto, Canada6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Our tour guide Trii was very knowledgeable about Dunedin and its history. We toured the whole area of the coastline. We enjoyed the Royal Albatross Centre and saw albatross in flight, nesting areas with Mom and baby from the observatory. We enjoyed a delicious lunch there too.
    Trii was helpful answering our questions about the area and stopping at picturesque areas like the botanical gardens. She also gave us frequent rest breaks.
    Thank you very much for a very pleasant day.
    Written February 24, 2023
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for your feedback. We are so happy to hear you had a great day with Trii. It is exciting times at the moment at the Albatross Colony, we love watching the progress of Albatross chicks growing every day.
    Written February 25, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    墨小語
    Taiwan25 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A place with beautiful scenery. We went there just after lunch from Dunedin that day. We had booked a guided tour of the albatross. We were a little pressed for time. We were lucky enough to see many cormorants and three albatross chicks, as well as a mother bird and a father bird. After flying, the tour is over. We don’t have enough time to walk around the beautiful outdoor scenery. It is recommended to spend at least half a day here to fully appreciate this place.
    Google
    Written June 1, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    thank you
    Written June 24, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Wander02759492955
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Feb 2024 • Friends
    We are a group of 7 from USA and Taiwan travelled through cruise ship to Dunedin, so we arranged a private tour with Asta through emails. Keith was our guide and he was just wonderful and absolutely delight to be with.
    Written February 15, 2024
    This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
    Thank you for your feedback. Great to hear you enjoyed your time while in Dunedin with us. Your tour guide's name was Steffan :)
    Written February 16, 2024
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

    Dunedin City Highlights, Otago Peninsula Scenery & Albatross Guided Tour provided by Fantail Tours

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