Nature and City Tour
4
Nature and City Tour
By Exploring New Zealand
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About
This is a tour by bus around some of the main attractions of Dunedin. It is aimed at cruise ship passengers and only runs on cruise ship days
The tour stops at all locations mentioned with a chance to get off and have a walk around.
Comfortable vehicles and a commentary is provided.
A full refund will be offered if at the conclusion of the tour the customer is dissatisfied with any part of the experience that is within the operator's control so long as the issue is raised first with the operator before any third party. (Subject to tripadvisor complying with operator request)
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-120, max of 36 per group
Duration: 4–6 hours
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
More
- Air-conditioned vehicle
What's not included- Lunch
- Start:Traveller pickup offered.
- The Flying Whale (Mural), 21 Beach Street, Port Chalmers 9023, New ZealandWe meet at the 'private tours' area of the cruise ship terminal at Port Otago, then we depart from outside the cruise ship terminal.
Pickup details- We meet at the private tours area of the cruise ship terminal at Port Otago. We usually have a stand and/or someone with a sign there.
Port pickup offeredDuring checkout you will be able to select from the list of included ports.- Port Otago
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Near public transportation
- Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 124765P2- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Most travellers can participate
- We can usually accomodate wheelchairs and prams in the bus but person must sit on a seat in bus.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 36 travellers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 124765P2
From
AU$83.44
per adult
Select date and travellers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- kyliekeys0 contributionsFamily tripA great tour with a wonderful guide Rob. He shared his knowledge and passion for New Zealand with us. Definitely recommend !Written 12 April 2024
- kymhanlin0 contributionsA+++ excellent.Great tour and value for money. Craig our tour guide and Joe our driver were great and a wealth of local knowledge and stories. Would definitely reccommendWritten 15 March 2024
- Christina R0 contributionsA great half day tour showing best of DunedinGreat tour guide drive, Andrew. He showed us highlights of Dunedin, including town, Baldwin St, botanic gardens, and settlers museum. A great tour, we thoroughly recommend it. Would suggest need to make museum stop longer, 30 mins not enough for a fab museum with lots to see.Written 12 March 2024
- muddy190 contributionsNice trip in good weather.Our first stop in Dunedin City was outside a church. The driver said we would stop for about 3/4 hour, but nothing else. It was raining. We walked downhill to the edge of the Octagon, where other tour buses were parked and people were dropped off in the shelter. We weren't sure what to do, so looked for a cafe and bought coffee, then trudged back uphill to the bus. Then on to a high lookout, where views were extensive, and the rain had stopped. Back down hill to the lower end of Baldwin St, with the chance to walk to the top. Then on to Botanical Gardens, with limited time which prevented a good look, as the gardens are extensive. Back to the Octagon with the choice of Railway Station or Settlers Museum, both of which are definitely worth a look. Our driver was not very talkative, and did not engage with the (mostly senior) passengers. A nice trip with limited time, but it could be improved with more thought and interaction with customers.Written 9 March 2024
- Anne M0 contributionsBest day of our cruise stopsIt was an amazing tour. It was much better priced than the ones off the ship. The guide was informative and great. Well priced and worth every cent. I would do it again happily. All the best sights. Our guide through in extra stops and drives. It was meant to go 4 hours. We went almost 6 hours.Written 3 March 2024
- greglA2009RS0 contributionsGood value for moneyVery good experience. The driver Owen spoke clearly and gave very good commentary all the way throughout the trip. Plenty of stops and time to look around. The bus was clean and seats comfortable.Written 29 February 2024
- 198geoffl0 contributionsGood value for money tournamentVery good value tour with excellent guide and driver Saw lots of parts of Sydney with lovely views maybe slightly rushed at some stops Well worth the moneyWritten 27 February 2024
- Roblaine0 contributionsVery economic way to see Dunedin from where Cruise Ships dock at Port Chalmers.For little more than the cost of the Cruise Shuttle Bus to Dunedin from Port Chalmers, with Exploring NZ we had the benefit of over 4 hours of visiting the highlights of this great City. Excellent driver and the owner was very keen to please and accompanied us without rushing and allowing plenty of opportunity to get a good feel of life in this University City.Written 25 February 2024
- David B0 contributionsGreat tour! Great value!We had a great time touring around Dunedin. We could have had a better tour guide. Very informative with a great sense of humor. You can’t beat the price either. The cruise ship would have charged 4 x the price. Highly recommend.Written 21 February 2024
- bob20151440 contributionsA Tour well wort takingA tour well worth taking You get to see Port Douglas in a variety of different aspects from a well informed tour guide. The views on the last location are quite spectacularWritten 19 February 2024
- ameliacV4961ME0 contributionsSuper-duperCraig was terrific. Good drivers can make or break any tour. He did a nice job connecting with the entire group despite the language barriers.Written 18 February 2024
- OnAir2606980 contributionsAwesome 🤩From the moment we were greeted by Bronny at Cruise ship Terminal to our drop off with Ron this experience was amazing. Bronny a breath of fresh air after being on the ship for days Ron was a wealth of knowledge everything packed into hours . This is a must do Michelle and MalcolmWritten 15 February 2024
- chilly280 contributionsCracking Tour with Craig.We organised this tour for 6th Feb as our cruise ship had a day in Dunedin and after reading previous reviews we thought the city tour sounded good. Bronwyn was really helpful and friendly on arrival in Dunedin, but the star of the show was definitely Craig in his red cowboy hat. He was charming and witty and full of interesting facts about the area and history. He delivered information in a very entertaining manner and was very accommodating to the different needs and questions from the group. We went to a variety of different locations which would have been hard to get to without a car and even had time to climb the steepest street in the world. We really enjoyed our tour and thought Craig was a fantastic guide, his passion and joy was infectious and he created a memorable day - Thanks Craig.Written 13 February 2024
- Anon0 contributionsRecommended!Lovely and informative morning spent with Craig visiting the highlights of his beloved Dunedin, learning about its history and also getting a glimpse of this bubbly gentlemsn's everyday life. Not strenuous.Written 13 February 2024
- 888maureen0 contributionsExceptionalOur tour guide and driver, Craig, was exceptional. He was fun, knowledgeable and accocmmodating. Highly recommended.Written 5 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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4.0
15 reviews
Excellent
7
Very good
4
Average
1
Poor
2
Terrible
1
trinamon
Sydney, Australia12 contributions
Jan 2023
Staff put us on the wrong bus, no sticker, didn't have our names checked so we were doing the City and Garden Tour instead of what we booked.
Reading the other reviews since then and I can see I should have been forewarned and booked another operator.
The bus was very dirty and smelled of smoke, the air conditioning didn't work and it was a hot day. Then the driver had a problem with the door and locked himself out of the bus with all the passengers IN the bus.
When I pointed out we were on the wrong tour and wanted to change to the other bus, Andrew put the blame on us. I also spoke to two other drivers who were not at all helpful. We asked to be taken back to the cruise ship at that stage and still had to wait 40 minutes for that to happen. We had wasted the only day we had in Dunedin.
After complaining to Andrew in an email, I was offered a PARTIAL REFUND, which I hoped would be at least half of the cost of our tour but it wasn't. Only 1/3 was refunded, which is why I decided to write this review.
Steer clear of this company if you are cruising into Dunedin!
Reading the other reviews since then and I can see I should have been forewarned and booked another operator.
The bus was very dirty and smelled of smoke, the air conditioning didn't work and it was a hot day. Then the driver had a problem with the door and locked himself out of the bus with all the passengers IN the bus.
When I pointed out we were on the wrong tour and wanted to change to the other bus, Andrew put the blame on us. I also spoke to two other drivers who were not at all helpful. We asked to be taken back to the cruise ship at that stage and still had to wait 40 minutes for that to happen. We had wasted the only day we had in Dunedin.
After complaining to Andrew in an email, I was offered a PARTIAL REFUND, which I hoped would be at least half of the cost of our tour but it wasn't. Only 1/3 was refunded, which is why I decided to write this review.
Steer clear of this company if you are cruising into Dunedin!
Written 14 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello. Thank you for your review. I also wish you had booked another operator. From the start of the tour you kept on complaining that you were on the "wrong bus" and the "wrong tour". No matter how many times I said this wasn't the case you kept on insisting that it was. You were on the tour that you booked and other passengers that booked the same tour as you were on that bus. However you decided to leave the tour early and go back to the ship. Because of this I decided to give you a refund for the portion of the tour that you did not complete and that was the money that you got back. It wasn't half because you completed more than half of the tour that you booked. I hope you are better able to understand what you have booked in the future.
Also the bus wasn't dirty, it didn't smell of smoke and the air-conditioning did work. I did have problem with the door that day and that problem is now fixed.
Written 31 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nic C
2 contributions
Jan 2020
A very average tour. Took a while to find meeting point sign in terminal and tour began later than originally scheduled so made the tour shorter. Tour guide. Andrew improved as the tour went on but began really it really flustered and uncommunicative. Botanical gardens lovely.
Written 20 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. Especially thanks for reviewing an "average" tour since people often only bother to review if they really like it or they hate it. We meet in the the private tours area of the cruise ship terminal. I can be flustered at the start of tours because when people come off the cruise ships we can go from having a couple of passengers to an unknown number, (sometimes over 100) in about half an hour. Since this is difficult to plan for it can make me stressed at that time. It's like performing some adhoc miracle every day cruise ships are in. If you have any ways in which the tour could be made less average such as other places we could go or things we could do then please let me know. In general I think that it would be possible to improve the experience of the tour but it would cost more and take longer, so it's always a compromise in that regard.
Regards,
Andrew
Written 25 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jo C
14 contributions
This was so disappointing! We were collected from the cruise ship shuttle and dumped in the city. It was Boxing Day so I expected some things to be closed but the tour guide was useless as far as telling us what would be open. He kept saying things like "there is a cafe around the corner but I don't know if it will be open - it is Boxing Day after all". It's your JOB to tell us what's open!! Make a few calls beforehand to be able to give us informed choices. His guided tour of the Botanic Gardens was pathetic, just reading from the info boards on each aviary. He wasn't very friendly either. The 2nd half was equally disappointing. It was just a very long driving tour with one quick photo op. Maybe they weren't ready for the cruise ships arrival but a lot of improvement is needed.
Written 30 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review. Public holidays can be a challenge because many of the things that we go to may not be open on those days. Basically on Boxing Day hardly anything will be open. I am not sure who the guide was on your tour. I don't know what you did on the second half of the tour. Sometimes weather conditions can limit where it makes sense to stop but on the Nature and City tour there should normally be at least three stops on that part of the tour.
Written 31 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Connector589267
1 contribution
Dec 2022
Well I would have to say this was one of the most disorganised tours I have ever been on. 2 phone calls later we found door 2 where we were suppose to assemble. Tour finally started - weather in morning came in so no scenic views (not the tour guides fault but no plan B of course) like leaving that part of that part of the tour until later!
Left us in the centre of the city for 30mins twiddling our thumbs for more paying customers.
Then rocked up to the art gallery - whoops closed for Boxing Day!- no checking off course!
Then rocked up to the train museum - whoops closed also! No checking again by tour operators.
Highlight was first church and fresh cherries - then 25 mins for coffee (gulped it down).
Then afternoon tour waited for 2 paying guests who sat on front bus waiting for us where we were behind 20mins later. We backed tracked And saw the same roads 3 times that day!
Wayne was very informative but seemed to drive like a mad man to our next destination. Scenery was lovely then we were whisked back to the dock with 15mins to spare.
Overall, closed venues, disorganisation, no niceties e.g cheese tasting or local delicacies - no value adds.
Unless they get their scheduling “right” - wouldn’t recommend booking through either trip advisor or theses guys again.
Left us in the centre of the city for 30mins twiddling our thumbs for more paying customers.
Then rocked up to the art gallery - whoops closed for Boxing Day!- no checking off course!
Then rocked up to the train museum - whoops closed also! No checking again by tour operators.
Highlight was first church and fresh cherries - then 25 mins for coffee (gulped it down).
Then afternoon tour waited for 2 paying guests who sat on front bus waiting for us where we were behind 20mins later. We backed tracked And saw the same roads 3 times that day!
Wayne was very informative but seemed to drive like a mad man to our next destination. Scenery was lovely then we were whisked back to the dock with 15mins to spare.
Overall, closed venues, disorganisation, no niceties e.g cheese tasting or local delicacies - no value adds.
Unless they get their scheduling “right” - wouldn’t recommend booking through either trip advisor or theses guys again.
Written 25 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review and sorry for my delay in replying to it. I didn't get any notification of these reviews so I didn't know it was there till now. Anyway it was disorganised at that time. partly due to a lack of staff on a public holiday. I now have someone 'full time' in the cruise ship terminal to avoid that issue.
So the first thing to understand is that Boxing Day is not a normal day because almost everything is closed. The centre of the city is normally a very busy and interesting place but less so on a public holiday.
We don't go to the Art Gallery specifically, so I don't know why that was mentioned in this case.
Actually the Museum was open on this day but we told people it was closed due to me presuming it was closed, as it was closed on Christmas Eve which isn't even a public holiday. By the time I found out it was open it was too late.
It sounds like you did have some local delicacies - fresh cherries that they were selling by the roadside. Please understand though that this tour is not in a price range that would permit me to offer a wide range of local delicacies.
We are always working to improve the tour and how we operate so feedback like this is useful even if it was an atypical day. The biggest issue we face of course is not knowing how many people will book on the tour on any particular day and so having to account for a range of possibilities.
Written 31 January 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kaja H
3 contributions
Had a wonderful and interesting tour. Got to see more than expected and tour guide, Ken, was great. Definitely recommend this tour
Written 20 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Catherine W
4 contributions
Our guide Ken was friendly and knowledgeable about the region. Nothing was too much trouble…he even made an unplanned stop so we could buy cookies at Cookie Time!
Written 16 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jet66258995399
Perth, Australia2 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
Thoroughly enjoyed our tour of the lovely town of Dunedin. Rob, a lifelong local, was a terrific guide, telling more than just historic facts but also sharing personal stories (from where he proposed, to where his parents now rest).
Written 16 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joy W
Bonnells Bay, Australia8 contributions
Our polite and knowledgable gentleman guide/driver...apologies... name escapes me... gave us all a very comprehensive tour of Dunedin..and surrounding areas.
The 'tall' street was unbelievable, (and some chose to 'climb it) the scenery was amazing..nothing was too much trouble. So very interesting to hear the history and how the city evolved over a period of several generations. We are quite near to NZ, but NZ history is unknown to us, here in Australia.
The little extra diversions were much appreciated by all the passengers, and thanks to you for providing such knowlegable guides. A wonderful day."
Might I make 1 suggestion for your assembly point in the big shed, at the Port, for cruise passengers ?
Having such a large number of passengers, Ovation takes so long to get us all disembarking...we waited a very long time to have our 'group' ready to start. My suggestion is to have a high post, with your name clearly on an attached signboard,
that can be clearly seen by all.
Joy and Graham Watts.
The 'tall' street was unbelievable, (and some chose to 'climb it) the scenery was amazing..nothing was too much trouble. So very interesting to hear the history and how the city evolved over a period of several generations. We are quite near to NZ, but NZ history is unknown to us, here in Australia.
The little extra diversions were much appreciated by all the passengers, and thanks to you for providing such knowlegable guides. A wonderful day."
Might I make 1 suggestion for your assembly point in the big shed, at the Port, for cruise passengers ?
Having such a large number of passengers, Ovation takes so long to get us all disembarking...we waited a very long time to have our 'group' ready to start. My suggestion is to have a high post, with your name clearly on an attached signboard,
that can be clearly seen by all.
Joy and Graham Watts.
Written 12 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobertoEmilio Rymer
Rio de Janeiro, RJ23 contributions
The tour and guide were good, but the use of a large bus in the sites visited made it very difficult for the customers, no stop for pictures or bathrooms most of the morning, and the only stop at beach was about 300 meters uphill because there was no manouver space, forcing us, mostly seniors, to walk up and down 300 m of a steep hill, and use a very dirty portable toilet.
Written 9 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Normally we use a smaller bus for the Nature and City tours, however on very busy days we can sometimes switch to a larger bus which is actually more comfortable but does have one disadvantage and that is that it has to park further up the hill at one location because it is not able to turn further down. I would say that sometimes in nature you have to walk 300 meters and sometimes there is no toilet at all.
The thing that confuses me though is that you said "no stop for pictures or bathrooms most of the morning". Most of the places we go to have toilets: Baldwin St, The Botanic Gardens, St Clair, the Octagon and all of the places you stop to get out for pictures and the like. Maybe the driver didn't point out the toilets at all the stops and maybe you want to stop somewhere along the way to get pictures but the driver didn't know that? If that is the case I will instruct drivers to be more communicative about that.
Also you said that the only stop at the beach was 300 meters uphill but there should have been at least two stops at the beach with one being at St Clair where you are only about 20 meters away from the actual water so I don't understand that either. The other one is actually a wildlife viewing spot.
Written 12 March 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lizardprincess
Greater Sydney, Australia58 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
We had the best afternoon with Ken. So professional and knowledgeable but also so down to earth. My 16 year old and I loved this tour and it was amazing value. We were on Ovation of the Seas. Thankyou
Written 23 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Good to hear that both young and older had a good time on the tour. Ovation is a big ship so we often get plenty of people off it. We try and keep the tour a low price so lots of people can enjoy it. I will let Ken know about your review.
Written 31 January 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
No questions have been asked about this experience