Dunedin excursion includes guided tours to both Penguin Place and Royal Abatross Center?

[shuyak]

Looking for suggestions for Denedin excursion that will include guided tour to both Penguin Place and Royal Abatross Center.  Most tours will include one or the other but not both.  

 

Both Elm Wildlife and Monach Wildlife Cruise have the program @$185 NZD but depart at 2 PM only and they will not offer AM tour for cruise passengers.

 

The shore excursion group has the program but @$219 USD!

 

Thank you!

 

[buchhalm]

We just returned from our NZL cruise that had a Dunedin stop. We did an independent tour (which was fabulous) that included pretty much all the major sites of Dunedin and an hour or so at the albatross center. At that place there is also a sizeable penguin colony, but they only come out in the evening.

The albatrosses were very active, flying around alongside seagulls, which is great for comparison. 

I dont think there is much point to pay for a guided tour of the center.

Just going there and enjoying the facilies is good enough.

We also  saw several seals lolling around as a bonus.

[mr walker]

On our last cruise we did a wonderful tour which included both with Tourworks tourworks.co.nz

Russ is a great guy & a true local.

 

[MMDown Under]

29 minutes ago, buchhalm said:

We just returned from our NZL cruise that had a Dunedin stop. We did an independent tour (which was fabulous) that included pretty much all the major sites of Dunedin and an hour or so at the albatross center. At that place there is also a sizeable penguin colony, but they only come out in the evening.

The albatrosses were very active, flying around alongside seagulls, which is great for comparison. 

I dont think there is much point to pay for a guided tour of the center.

Just going there and enjoying the facilies is good enough.

We also  saw several seals lolling around as a bonus.

Sounds like a great tour.  Thanks for photos..

[shuyak]

@buchhalm, thank you for sharing your recent experience - that looks wonderful!

 

This will likely be our only visit to NZ/AU.  Through guided tour, we hope to see/learn about the endangered Yellow-Eyed Penguin (hoiho) that is endemic to New Zealand.  Likewise, we hope to visit the world's only mainland Royal Abatross colony to learn/appreciate this special bird.

 

@mr walker, thank you for the lead!  I just sent an email to tourworks asking them how to add Royal Abatross Centre entry to its Mainland Peninsula Tour and the cost.  I also asked what will happen if there are less than the required 4 person sign up for the tour.  If you have experienced similar situation, would you mind to share your experience?  Thank you!

 

[shuyak]

Tourworks has already replied to my inquiries.

 

No, we can only tour one place or the other, but not both for the day we will visit.  

 

[taxatty]

Keep in mind that it's much less likely that you will see the yellow eyed penguins than the little blue penguins on the separate evening tour operated out of the Albatross center. When we did the YEP tour, it was very interesting and the guides were great, but the only YEP we saw was one they were rehabilitating in an enclosure.

[RobinBancs]

We hired a car and found Dunedin to be a very drivable city and the freedom to tour the Otago Peninsula at our pace was great!  Went to the Albatross centre ourselves and drove past the penguin place during our travels. Pegasus Car hire can have cars available for pick up just in from the Lyttelton wharf. It’d be less than 200m from the passenger terminal.  

[By The Bay]

On 1/16/2023 at 10:35 AM, shuyak said:

Tourworks has already replied to my inquiries.

 

No, we can only tour one place or the other, but not both for the day we will visit.  

 

We used Back to Nature Tours and they cover what you are looking for. Pickup and drop-off from cruise terminal .

[buchhalm]

For something a bit different, penguin related...

🙊🙉🙈

 

https://eshackleton.com/2015/05/20/recipe-2/

[OzKiwiJJ]

On 1/18/2023 at 4:16 AM, RobinBancs said:

We hired a car and found Dunedin to be a very drivable city and the freedom to tour the Otago Peninsula at our pace was great!  Went to the Albatross centre ourselves and drove past the penguin place during our travels. Pegasus Car hire can have cars available for pick up just in from the Lyttelton wharf. It’d be less than 200m from the passenger terminal.  

Ships dock at Port Chalmers for Dunedin, not Lyttelton. 🙄😀

[RobinBancs]

27 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Ships dock at Port Chalmers for Dunedin, not Lyttelton. 🙄😀

Whoops. Correct. Port Chalmers.  By far and away the most helpful I-site people we came across too there!