Otago Peninsula Wildlife Tours

Duration

8 hours (Port Return)

start time may change to suit the arrival time of your cruise ship

Highlights

**This tour includes specialist guided tours at both Albatross and Penguin colonies **

Start promptly at 9:00 am from the ship’s wharf at Port Chalmers (if your ship is scheduled for a later arrival we can customize the tour to suit). Travel along the harbour road to Dunedin City and head to the Otago Peninsula, home to the rare Yellow Eyed Penguins and majestic Royal Albatross. Experience the pristine views from up high along the top road of the Otago Peninsula. See plenty of sheep on the small farms and learn about the local Maori who have lived in Dunedin and on the Otago Peninsula for centuries. We arrive at Penguin Place for the first wildlife tour of the day at the Yellow Eyed Penguin Conservation Reserve. After the tour we have time for a light lunch before heading to Taiaroa Heads at the end of the Peninsula for the second wildlife tour at the Royal Albatross Colony. After completing both wildlife tours on the Otago Peninsula, we head back to Dunedin City for a brief city sights tour which includes a visit to Baldwin Street on route to the ship’s wharf at Port Chalmers.

Penguin Place (Yellow Eyed Penguin Reserve)
View up close the extremely rare and endangered Yellow Eyed Penguin. Penguin Place is a unique nature reserve with a long standing commitment to conservation. Their efforts have enhanced the area through years of trapping predators & planting native trees to provide a safe haven for these special penguins. The reserve has excellent viewing huts and hides built to minimise human impact on the penguins and the natural environment.
Unsurpassed photographic opportunities are available on this tour! The gentle steps leading into the reserve are not steep but there are quite a few which require a reasonable level of mobility in order to complete this tour. Walking tracks are well maintained however we recommend tour participants bring suitable footwear for walking (i.e. no sandals or high heels).

Royal Albatross Colony (Albatross Observatory Tour)
Visit the only mainland breeding colony of the magnificent Northern Royal Albatross right out on the headland of the Otago Peninsula. This particular species of albatross is one of the largest birds in the world with a wingspan sometimes in excess of 3 metres in length! Tours take you up to the Observatory where nesting albatross rear their chicks. Shags (cormorants) make their nests nearby the observatory and NZ Fur Seals can often be seen down on the rocks. Please note the Albatross will be nesting and raising their chicks throughout the season from October right through until July. Eggs are laid in October/November, the chick will hatch in January and fledge in September. Albatross can be seen flying all year round however sometimes they are out at sea. Weather conditions often dictate how close they fly to land.

What to know

• Includes entry fees to Royal Albatross Tour.
• Chilled water & light refreshments included.
• Meals & other refreshments: own cost.
• PLEASE NOTE this tour involves short walks with steps, not suitable for those with limited mobility