Hi,

We will be driving from Queenstown to Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula this November and wanted some advice on what some of the must-do and must-see activities are in this area.

We will be making a day trip, so will have 7-8 hours at most, and are mostly interested in wildlife, nature and scenic beauty.

Any recommendation and tips will greatly help. Thanks in advance !

You should go out to Taiaroa Head, at the far end of the Otago Peninsula, where there is a large Royal Albatross colony. Great views along the cliffs and out into the Southern Ocean.

The 'Penguin Place' Yellow-Eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve is a great place to see hoiho close-up, out of several blinds constructed close to nests.

A rainy day activity would be to visit the U. of Otago Marine Lab, just outside of Portobello.

For the Penguin Place, are we better off going through them directly, or are the tours offered by Natures Wonders (http://natureswondersnaturally.com/tour.html) better ?

The Argo vehicle offered by Natures Wonders sounds cool, but does anyone know if they offer as good views of the penguins as that offered by Penguin Place ?

Finally, whats the best (most scenic) driving route to take from Dunedin to Taiaroa Head ?

Thanks all !

Hi Carl

With driving to Taiaroa head it is a case of all roads lead there.

There is the high road which takes you to Lanarch's Castle (Which is worth a visit even if it is not a real Castle)soon after the Castle the road heads down to the harbour road (The one that goes through Portobello, Otakau etc).

You could of course drive out on the high road, detour to places like Sandfly beach (IMHO one of the best looking beaches in New Zealand, they also have penguins, seals and sealions there). Then when you have been out to the heads you could come back by the coast road. Quick word of advice. Follow the traffic advisory signs regarding speed. The coast road is very windy.

Of course you could avoid all this and take an organised tour which will show you the best bits of the peninsula. Go to the visitors centre on the upper right hand side of the Octagon (Bang smack in the centre of town). They are very helpful in there and can assist with bookings.

In short to your original question both roads are worth a look, but since they end up as one toward the end of the peninsula you will see that anyway.

Have fun whatever you do.

Steve

Thanks Steve - any thoughts on the Natures Wonder tour ? Should we do this or do the Penguin Place tour ? Which one is better ?

Hi Carl

It has been a while since we did the organised tour down the peninsula, and sorry I have forgotten the name of the provider. It was however from memory very enjoyable. It left from the Octagon outside the visitor centre and brought us back there. There were only about six of us on the tour which was a very good number to enable us to take in all the information as it enabled a more "one on one" experience.

We were a little time constrained so I do remember that we did an abreviated trip and just went straight out to the Albatross colony, had a look at some old gun emplacements and then back into the city.

Most other times I have been out on the peninsula I have driven myself as I lived in Dunedin for five years. Hate to admit it though, but it was not until I took my wife back to see the place that I actually went out to see the Albatross on the tour. One of those things when you live in a place you tend to take things for granted.

If you like boats and have the time a leisurely trip can be had out on the harbour. Otago harbour is long and skinny and there are boat trips out to Taiaroa head/Aramoana and back. You can see the Albatross from this trip though by no means as closely as the birds are up on the top of a hill. You get a bit of the harbour history on this tour with details about places like Port Chalmers and the island in the harbour used to quarantine the sick immigrants upon arrival.

Dunedin itself is full (Comparitively speaking with the rest of NZ) of European history. It is also a very compact city. If you are fit and don't mind hills it is a good city to explore on foot.

Some city sights to explore are Olveston House, the Chocolate factory, and a personal favorite of mine, Speights Brewery. I lived next door to the Brewery for a year in a place called Canongate and woke up to the smell of malt and hops every morning. Great.

Have fun with your explorations. I strongly recommend that you hit the visitor centre as soon as you can. I found the folk in there very helpful and as I mentioned you can book tours from there.

Steve

Thanks kiwi_acct !

Does anyone have any thoughts on the Otago Explorer City Sightseeing Tour (http://k1w1.net/retail_2004-2005.htm) ?

It looks like a good option to roam around Dunedin city for a couple of hours before heading out to the Otago peninsula.

Has anyone taken this or has any thoughts about whether this is a good idea or not ?

Carl, I've been following your post with a great deal of interest, because I have the same questions. I'm not sure which tour I will do. But just to add to the confusion, on one of these travel forums ( and I honestly don't remember which) somebody highly recommended Elm wildlife tours.
http://www.elmwildlifetours.co.nz/
So it's another choice to make. It sounds really good and the person recommending it really enjoyed it.
Steve, I', too, will take your advice and go to the tourist office when I get to town.

>Does anyone have any thoughts on the Otago Explorer City Sightseeing Tour<

I did this tour a few years ago and enjoyed it. I liked that it was only a couple hours long - not a huge investment of time in case the tour turned out to be a dud, and it was inexpensive.

It was a nice way to get an overview of the town - the "steepest" street was interesting, but it's not like you really get that close to it.

There were a handful of stops (the railway station and St. Kilda's beach - I think that was the name - also were part of our tour. All of the stops we were able to get out for a bit to look around and take pictures.

Hi Carl,
Re the penguins, etc. We were there a couple of years ago, and came across the Penguin Place on our way to the Albatross Colony. We ducked down the side road (on the right hand side) and were lucky to be just in time for their bus out to the hides. I can't remember how much they charged but it was worth it as you are not able to get out there yourself. Wonderful experience, one I would be happy to repeat.
If you go to Portobello stop in at The Happy Hen place - lots of fun, and reasonably-priced mementoes of NZ.
The Otago Museum would be a great wet-day place to visit with amazing displays. Would definitely recommend Olveston House and the Cadbury factory tour. Enjoy Dunedin.
P.S. The other suggestion - go for a stroll up Baldwin Street - has amazing views!

what ever you do, just be on the sunset tour at the penguin place.

One of the best wildlife exhibits i have seen.

Thanks guys for all the great tips !

Final question - does anyone know what time the sunset tours depart ? Is this the last tour that goes out from Penguin Place ? The website says tours depart 90 minutes prior to sunset, so should we go on the absolute last tour ?

Thanks again.

ttt
Any answer for Carl's last question about the last tour of the day at Penquin Place?I'm interested in knowing too.

thats the one. 90 minutes before sunset..last one of the day...when the birds come back from fishing,walk up the beach and back to the nests.

now whether they will have young in the nest i don't know etc etc

johnj, thanks very much. Since it's about a 40 minute drive from Dunedin, I had better plan on leaving there by 6pm or so to get to Penguin Place.
That means I'll be driving back , on my own , in the dark. Is the road that weavy, windy....or will it be ok in the dark?

We're going on our first trip to NZ in December and will be visiting Dunedin. Thanks for all the great suggestions. In case it helps, Shirley at the Albatross Centre reserved the centre tour (with optional fort tour) and Penguin Place for us with coordinating times. We've also made reservations on the Taireri Gorge Railway for one afternoon.(http://www.taieri.co.nz/home.html) It looks like a great route. Has anyone done this? Thanks.

Hi, Sharon815,
The Taieri Gorge Train trip is really interesting. My husband and I did the day version about 3 years ago, and really enjoyed it. There is a commentary onboard, pointing out places of interest and history, etc.
Do go even if it is only for the half-day.
As I suggested to Carl, try the stroll along Baldwin Street, and visit the Happy Hens place in Portobello.

Dotty

You're being mischeivous. You forgot to mention having the inhaler and defibrilator kit available at the top of Baldwin Street if any visitors to Dunedin were to elect to try and "stroll" along it.

I once had a car (granted as a poor student in Dunedin so you can imaginge the vinatage and condition) that almost did not make it to the top. I was not keen on reversing down either. Will power won out.

Steve

Dotty- what is the happy hen's place??

I would check with Penguin Place and the albatross colony first about the likelyhood of seeing any birds. When I was there in April there were only a few to see at a far distance. Larnach Castle and the beautiful drive made up for the lack of wildlife viewing. There were plenty of places to take pictures. But be prepared for narrow, windy roads.