This tour was booked by our agent….knowing I love seeing birds. It was very well done and Danni our guide took us along the Otago Peninsula to see various wildlife. Sea lions, shell ducks were just a couple. At the Albatross and Blue Penguin centre, we were given a talk about the penguin and then went out to a platform to wait for them to arrive……which they did, right on cue! As soon as it was dark, groups of about 8 appeared and made their way up the beach to their burrows. Great views and lots of photo opportunities. Wrap up warm and there is a coffee truck there that sells not only coffee but also soup and hot chocolate.

We took the excellent tour starting at our hotel in Dunedin with the wonderful Dani, and I recommend this very highly because: - You don' have to drive yourself or Uber out to the end of the Otago Peninsula and the tour takes you back around 11:15PM; - There's a ton of really good sites and stops (such as to see see lions along the way) during the drive out; - Dani gives deep explanations of everything from the geology of the peninsula and Dunedin area in general, to understanding the shallow bay that forms the peninsula, to specifics on the birds we pass, to great photo-op stops; - There are relatively few people spread out along the viewing platform, so it's easy to see the little blue penguins waddle in from the sea just at dusk and start burrrowing into their nests; - It's a really good value, and the money you spend goes towards the conservation and education efforts of the centre.

Had an amazing time doing this tour! I was surprised how much our tour guide Danni knew about the history, nature and people in here. She was more than happy to answer all of our questions and was also telling us her experiences and recommendations. She picked us up by the Dunedin Tourist centre and drove us straight to Otago Peninsula to do the tour there with us - she showed us some amazing view points, landmarks, Maori spot and also a lot of fauna and flora. Later we joined the other people at the Royal Albatross Centre, we went to the presentation about this region (and of course penguins) held mostly by Sian (who made the presentation really funny and interesting!) and went down to the platform to wait for little blue penguins to arrive. Meanwhile we received some funny facts from both girls and from Lyndon, who also started to point out on the sky and was showing us planets and telling us more about the stars we can see. When we started to be cold, there was a coffee cart, where Alistair was ready to serve us anything to keep us warm. We saw many penguins arriving to the beach and also few albatrosses flying over the beach! All of us got a great time and once we finished, Danni took us back to Dunedin and was asking each of us about our drop off places to make it the most comfortable experience for us.

We did this tour on a lovely evening in January. From start to finish it was really well done. Our guide, James, collected us from our hotel and after collecting a few others (max 11) started our journey to the Otago peninsular. We had a stop to admire the wonderful view from high up and then continued with james stopping periodically to point out wildlife. This included a couple of sea lions and lots of different bird species. We then made our way to the bay where the penguins nest and James pointed out an albatross flying overhead. Fantastic sight. But the best was yet to come as just as it became dark the tiny blue penguins emerged from the sea in small groups and waddled past us. It was an amazing sight. This tour was worth every penny and I would definitely recommend. A big thank you to James and his colleagues who really made the experience and we came away totally in love with the tiny creatures.

The tour guide was amazing! Great knowledge base and creative entertaining story telling. She was very passionate about her conservation work which was very inspiring and uplifting. Loved seeing the penguins come up on the beach! Amazing experience! Great to see penguins in their natural habitat and not enclosed within a zoo setting. Highlight of our trip to Dunedin

The "Otago Peninsula In-Depth Tour and Blue Penguins Pukekura Experience" was a five hour evening tour to see the Blue Penguins return to their nest from a day of feeding at sea. The Blue Penguins are the world's smallest penguin, only about 30 cm./1 foot tall. We drove along the Otago Peninsula and made several stops along the way. There was a sea lion near the road, but it moved too fast for me to get a photo of it. When we arrived at the Blue Penguin reserve, we had a chance to see albatrosses in flight and the native red-billed gulls. After a talk about the Blue Penguins, we went down to a platform to watch them. It was great to see these tiny Blue Penguins returning to their nests. We saw 124 penguins that night. (The ranger counted for us.) I highly recommend this tour.

This trip was brilliant. We were picked up in Dunedin and went on a tour of the Otago Peninsula to look at the local birdlife, particularly the wading/water birds. The guide was knowledgeable and gave us interesting information about the birds that we were seeing. On arrival at Pukekura we saw albatross flying as well as the many seagulls. Then we had the penguin experience, started with a short talk about the penguins and the history of New Zealand which was really interesting, followed by the viewing at dusk of the groups of penguins coming in from the beach and up past the platform that we were viewing from. There were plenty of penguins and plenty of opportunity to see them both on the beach and in the dunes as they made their way back to their nests. They allowed us to take photographs provided the flash was switched off so have some fantastic photographic memories of the experience. I would highly recommend this tour.

Just when I thought New Zealand had shared all its treasures, I spent the evening with the most wonderful little creatures I have ever seen and it was the most special evening of my holiday 🥰 After an informative drive to the peninsula from Dunedin with our lovely guide, James, we had an excellent talk by another one of the trustees, about the history of the region and fascinating facts about these unique creatures. Then down to the beach for a special evening of watching them scurrying up the beach in small groups (for protection), scrambling across the rocks to their burrows, with lots of chirping, which was adorable. This tour is run by the charitable trust that is working to protect these special penguins, so by taking their tour, you are directly contributing to their vital work. I can’t recommend this tour highly enough. If you are even just thinking about visiting the South Island, Dunedin or even New Zealand, seeing these wonderful creatures is reason enough on it’s own!

James was so knowledgeable about the history of the peninsular and stopped to point out birds and views The trip was well organised and fun. Just a fantastic evening with James and Danni. Thank you.

I can't say enough good things about this experience. I booked it the day-of and despite inclement weather, the experience was tremendous. First, our guide, Dani, was enthusiastic and energetic and super knowledgeable too. She had a story for everything and was also able to answer nearly any question thrown at her. While the draw here is the penguins, not having transportation and needing a ride to the reserve ended up being a bonus because there's so much to see on the peninsula along the way — and I'm not sure I would've wanted to drive those windy roads myself and may not have made much of a tour of it. The rolling hills are beautiful and there's so many bird species up there. Dani navigated the roads with ease, stopping several times along the way for photos and to spot wildlife or talk about the history of the land and culture. Once we arrived at the center, she helped us spot some fur seals and made sure to give us time in the gift shop — one of the best collections of artfully made NZ-made items I've seen so far! The guide leading the 30-minute discussion before the viewing was also very captivating. Then there was the viewing experience itself. Even with a slight drizzle and cooler temps for a December evening, it was such a thrilling experience. I understand and appreciate why they cap the number of people, so you'll have ample opportunity to view the penguins on the platform both arriving on the beach and then waddling up into the dunes towards their burrows. The guides explain everything from their sounds to their habits and rituals. This is a not-to-be-missed experience while in Dunedin! I'm so glad I went.

You can literally see hundreds of small and cute blue penguins. Before seeing the penguins, you can go on a small guided tour to various areas to observe and hear explanations about various birds and animals. If you like birds and animals, this is the best tour.

This was a fantastic trip! Really informative and relevant. Breathtaking views of Otago Peninsula and excellent wildlife sightings. Really close-up viewing of Little Blue penguins coming ashore and interacting with each other. They have so much character! Thank you Lyndon and your team.

Amazing experience - Jonathan was outstanding as a guide and the penguins amazing. Would very highly recommend. The tour before seeing the penguins was fascinating. 👍👍

The penguins were absolutely amazing to witness!! This is a bucket list experience that is worth every penny, and your money goes towards helping the environment & wildlife. Would love to come back during moulting season, absolutely loved my experience.

Jonathon provided excellent commentary/info regarding Dunedin’s history and wildlife. The whole team are passionate about the little blue penguins. We saw lots of the little blue penguins in addition to a variety of other birds and seals. Highly recommend!