Price from:
140 USD
Quite possibly the best overall nature and wildlife experience in New Zealand! Come find out!
Duration
Approx. 7 Hours
*This tour might not be suitable for young children due to it's long duration and because it visits sensitive conservation areas that require silence at times.*
About
A small-group bus tour from Dunedin. Join our local guide for an exploration of the Otago Peninsula. Travel over the high road with postcard views of the harbour and coast. You’ll travel past quaint communities and rural farms. Spot wading birds as your mini-bus explores around the inlets and the wetland eco-systems.
Your tour will visit a remote Otago Peninsula beach. A short walk from the mini-bus will provide dramatic views of rugged coastal cliffs, offshore islands and perhaps some huge sea lions.
The trip continues to Wellers Rock Wharf, for a one-hour Wildlife Cruise. You’ll travel out of the harbour, around Taiaroa Head, and out to sea. Watch royal albatross glide across the water and return to their breeding colony. Beneath a historic lighthouse is a colony of playful furseals. You’ll spot other rare seabirds and maybe blue penguins or other marine mammals.
The final stop is at a Yellow-eyed Penguin conservation reserve. Visit the on-site rehab centre before entering the reserve. You’ll take trails through native bushland, walking through tunnels and trenches to different viewing hides scattered around the reserve. We hope to watch as the world’s rarest penguin returns ashore and interacts around it’s nest.
Throughout the tour your guide will also discuss the conservation work being done to help save this special penguin species. The tour ends with a relaxed drive, following the harbour, back to Dunedin.
Inclusions:
- Bus tour over the Otago Peninsula and around the Harbour
- Explore around Hoopers & Papanui Inlet ecosystems
- Visit a remote beach in search of sea lions
- Monarch Wildlife Cruise
- Walking tour through a yellow-eyed penguin conservation reserve.
Exclusions:
- Food is not provided.
*We recommend that our guests bring pre-packed food & drink with them on tour. We also suggest having a good sized lunch before the tour departs Dunedin.*
What to bring
Dress warm for the days forecast and bring a waterproof layer. The weather can be unpredictable at times and we highly recommend being ready for all conditions. Extra jackets are available if needed. We suggest wearing sturdy and comfortable footwear.
Booking Notes
##Thank you for booking a Peninsula Encounters + Wildlife Cruise
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**If you have requested a pickup, we'll reply via email and confirm the pickup details.**
- *If you don't receive this email within 24-hours of making your booking, check your junk inbox. If you still can't find it, please email us at monarch@wildlife.co.nz*
**If you haven't requested a pickup, the default departure point is our office at 20 Fryatt Street, Dunedin.**
- *Please check-in 15-minutes before your scheduled start time.*
- *All-day free carparks can be found around this location.*
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Dress warm for the days forecast and bring a waterproof layer. The weather can be unpredictable at times and we highly recommend being ready for all conditions.
We suggest wearing sturdy and comfortable footwear. During the tour you may walk up to two kilometres on bush tracks, grass and soft sand. You’ll need to be able to walk up sets of stairs.
This tour is not suitable for people with limited mobility or wheelchair users.
A meal is not provided during this tour, you are welcome to bring your own food & drink. We recommend having a good-sized meal before checking-in and joining the tour.
Don’t worry if the forecast is for a cold, wet or windy day, the albatross love it. They won’t stop for rain and neither do we. The best viewing often comes from the wilder days.
High quality binoculars and multi-language information sheets will be provided.
Wildlife viewing is never guaranteed, but we’ll always aim to give the best possible experience.
Yellow-eyed Penguins are the rarest of all the world’s penguin species. Unfortunately, numbers are currently in decline and viewing does vary. Your tour patronage supports the ongoing conservation work to help save these special birds.
You may be photographed and/or videotaped during your cruise or tour. Your image may be used for promotional and informational purposes, including online publications/media and tour documentation
The recording of videography and or photography for the purposes of commercial gain is expressly forbidden without prior written permission from management.
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###Tour Information Sheet:
[View Peninsula Encounters + Wildlife Cruise.pdf](https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/4iQ4j3aQ3i3N4EA824Hc)
