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Dunedin Shore Excursion: Heritage, Scenery & Botanical Gardens Tour
4.8
88 Ratings
Port Chalmers
Explore the rich heritage and stunning scenery of Dunedin on a small group shore excursion. Visit Larnach Castle, the world’s steepest street, and the oldest botanic garden in New Zealand.
Explore the rich heritage and stunning scenery of Dunedin on a small group shore excursion. Visit Larnach Castle, the world’s steepest street, and the oldest botanic garden in New Zealand.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Baldwin Street: The Steepest Street in the World - Make a brief stop to admire or photograph Baldwin Street, which held the title of the steepest street in the world for 30 years.
- Signal Hill - Enjoy the stunning panorama of Dunedin city and harbor, gaining a clear perspective of the city’s layout.
- Dunedin Botanic Garden - Take a…
- Baldwin Street: The Steepest Street in the World - Make a brief stop to admire or photograph Baldwin Street, which held the title of the steepest street in the world for 30 years.
- Signal Hill - Enjoy the stunning panorama of Dunedin city and harbor, gaining a clear perspective of the city’s layout.
- Dunedin Botanic Garden - Take a leisurely walk to explore bird aviaries and unique plants thriving in Dunedin.
- University of Otago - Pause briefly to admire and photograph New Zealand’s oldest university, the University of Otago.
- Castle Street North - Drive through a street predominantly occupied by Otago University students and see the house where the renowned NZ band Six60 began.
- The Octagon - Pass through the vibrant heart of the city, the Octagon.
- First Church of Otago - Stop to appreciate both the exterior and interior of one of New Zealand’s finest churches, the First Church of Otago.
- Dunedin Railway Station - Make a short stop at Dunedin Railway Station to view one of New Zealand’s most photographed buildings.
- Otago Peninsula - Relax and enjoy the drive to Larnach Castle Gardens, offering breathtaking views of the Otago Peninsula and Otago Harbour.
- Larnach Castle & Gardens - Spend approximately 1-1.5 hours exploring the Castle gardens, visiting the café for snacks and drinks, and capturing photos of the stunning views. Learn about the dramatic story of William Larnach and his family. Please note, this tour includes entry to the gardens only; there is an additional fee to enter the castle building itself. Entry to the castle building is not included, with an extra fee of NZD20 payable at the door.
- Olveston Historic Home - Olveston is a beautiful expression of one family’s dream. A tour of Olveston offers an intimate glimpse into the lifestyle of a privileged family in the early 1900s. It reflects a lifestyle enjoyed by only a few, yet represents a significant piece in the mosaic of early New Zealand life as a whole.
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Round-trip shared transfer
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Port pickup and drop-off
- Driver/guide
- Round-trip shared transfer
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Port pickup and drop-off
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
- Lunch
- Food and drinks
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
This tour offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in the pristine beauty of Dunedin, featuring a journey filled with heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and unforgettable highlights. Participants will explore the magnificent Otago Peninsula via the picturesque Highcliff Road, known for its rugged beaches and bays, and visit the gardens of New Zealand’s…
This tour offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in the pristine beauty of Dunedin, featuring a journey filled with heritage, breathtaking landscapes, and unforgettable highlights. Participants will explore the magnificent Otago Peninsula via the picturesque Highcliff Road, known for its rugged beaches and bays, and visit the gardens of New Zealand’s sole castle, Larnach Castle.
During the tour, participants will visit some of Dunedin’s most renowned sites:
• Baldwin Street, recognized as the world’s steepest street
• A local lookout point providing panoramic views of the city, harbor, and peninsula
• The University of Otago — the oldest university in New Zealand
• The Octagon
• Dunedin Railway Station
• The Dunedin Botanic Garden — internationally acclaimed and the oldest in the nation
Additionally, participants will enjoy a one-hour guided tour of Olveston Historic Home, a true gem of Dunedin. Every item within the house is original, offering a unique insight into the lives of the family who once resided there.
- There are stairs to access first floor at Olveston historic home.
Location
Port Chalmers Cruise Terminal
Beach Street
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(88 Ratings)
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Paul_v
Mar 29, 2026
Tour in Dunedin - This was a very good tour the guide was friendly and helpful, if there was information that she did not know she would look it up. Although all destinations were worth seeing, Olveston was the highlight.
Review provided by Viator
Elizabeth_s
Mar 1, 2026
Very good - Yes we enjoyed the excursion and the guide was very informative. The spots were very interesting. Well worth the cost.
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Brett
Feb 15, 2026
Highly recommend. Asta... - Highly recommend. Asta was a great guide- personable and knowledgeable. Having a small group was great.
Review provided by Viator
Laurie_k
Feb 6, 2026
Dunedin tour - Loved the personalized tour! Highly recommend if you want to get a feel for the town in one day! Guide was excellent and shared lots of interesting information.
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Karstin_b
Jan 28, 2026
Great overview of the... - Great overview of the city and a variety of experiences - museums, botanic garden, viewpoints. Very interesting guide with a love for Dunedin.
Review provided by Viator
Cathy_s
Jan 12, 2026
The best! - We had a beautiful day with Asta. Turned out that we had a private tour& and she was so flexible and agreeable to anything we needed to do or see. The views were incredible! The castle gardens are lovely ; the steepest street is cool! She took us to the botanical garden and pointed out different plants. & very interesting trees. It was a pleasure To spend time with this lovely lady. She loves this area and you could tell.!!
Review provided by Viator
Lallk58
Jan 9, 2026
Fantastic Tour - We visited Dunedin, New Zealand while on a cruise. It was a fantastic tour. Pick up and drop off was very easy. Our tour guide Asta from Fantails picked us up from the cruise terminal. It was a small group of 4 people on the tour. Our tour guide Asta was very knowledgeable and she gave us a lot of information about Dunedin rich history. Scenic drives overlooking the city were stunning. We went to the Baldwin Street, steepest street in the world. Inside tours of the Olveston historic house with its rich history and inside tour of Larnach Castle with its beautiful gardens were our favorite. We also made short stops at University of Otago, Dunedin Railway Station, Dunedin Botanic Garden and First Church of Otago. It was a great tour, we spent a lovely and a memorable day with Asta. We highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Alan_k
Mar 24, 2026
Pleasant overview of Dunedin area - Nice overview of Dunedin area. Friendly and helpful guide, though I would have appreciated more discussion and explanation of what we were seeing. Lanarch Castle and Gardens are amazing, but we were disappointed to have very little time to explore the gardens or go inside the house. I’d be happy to skip the “steepest street“ and spend more time at the castle. The van we were placed on was very small for the number and size of passengers and was quite uncomfortable given that we were one of the four people sitting across the back.
Review provided by Viator
Anonymous
Feb 13, 2026
Avoid this tour. We have... - Avoid this tour. We have traveled globally; this is the worst tour ever. For our small group, the guide was not prepared enough. First, he said he had to "borrow" a small bus; it was old, uncomfortable, noisy, with broken air conditioning, and air did not circulate well. At our meeting spot, other tours had modern buses. Not sure what happened here. One attendee had to slide open the emergency window to give us air. Second, there were too many brief stops (about 10-20 minutes) long where we would need to exit the bus to catch a view, then return promptly. He kept nagging us about returning to the bus on time to keep on track, but why do this? At one stop, he expected us to pick up our lunch on our own and see 3 blocks in 20 minutes while he stayed in the bus. We weren't able to find and order food in time so we were without food the whole day.. He was unfazed and didn't seem to care how we felt or even ask if we got food. The bus was noisy that it was very difficult to hear him at times. One stop was odd because the bus was parked very close to the edge of the road on a mountain cliff which was not safe getting in and out of the bus. In retrospect, I regret signing up for this tour because the house tour was not very interesting and too long. The castle was not really a castle, but a rundown refuge that was ugly and run down. I would not recommend this tour - look elsewhere for a tour that is fun, informative and memorable.
Review provided by Viator
Stefanltje
Feb 8, 2026
Great sights, but not with this company again. - The trip with Fantail Tours was a huge disappointment for me and absolutely not recommended. There was no employee on site at the specified meeting point at 9:30 a.m. After I asked at the cruise terminal, I was informed that the group had already left. It was only after I contacted the company via WhatsApp that it was even checked if anyone else was waiting for me. Such an unprofessional level of organization is not acceptable for a booked excursion.
In addition, program items were simply shortened or omitted. In the Botanic Garden there was no announced hike, but only a very short stay of less than 20 minutes. The visit to the castle lasted only about 50 minutes, although according to the program 1.5 hours were scheduled. In addition, the castle was hardly photographable by parked buses.
The tour, advertised as a “small group”, was also not true. A group of 21 people has nothing to do with a small group for me.
Overall, neither organization nor performance is correct compared to the description. My clear recommendation: In Dunedin, it’s probably cheaper, more flexible and less stressful to take a taxi on your own.
Review provided by Viator
