Published on Feb, 2025

What an informative introduction to the beauty of the peninsula and the non human inhabitants of Dunedin From the purkeko , stilts , flat billed oyster catchers,paradise ducks ,plovers , herons , royal spindles to the lazily frolicking sea lions / intent seals to the majestic albatross nesting in Pukekura Pa , the Hoiho and the Fiordland crested penguins at the OPERA , we rhotoughly enjoyed Rob’s tales

Published on Jan, 2025

I enjoyed this wildlife tour to the Otago Peninsula. We made a few stops en route to the albatrosses. At one stop, I saw a female New Zealand Sea Lion on a beach. When we reached Weller's Rock, 12 of us got off to see the albatrosses from the water. We took a one hour cruise on the MV Monarch. (The other four took the land option and visited the Royal Albatross Centre.) Albatrosses like strong winds so they can glide easily. They have a wingspan of 3.3 m./11 feet and soar on air currents. The wind also meant that the sea was choppy. It was not easy to take photos when the boat was going up and down! We sailed by Tairoa Head, the only place where albatrosses nest on a mainland. Their other nesting sites are on remote islands. In the water, we saw blue penguins, hector's dolphins (the world's rarest), and New Zealand fur seals. Albatrosses in flight are majestic. Unlike the seagulls, they do not flap their wings. They just soar. After the cruise, the van picked us up and brought us to OPERA to see the yellow-eyed penguins. (I wrote a separate review of OPERA.) We hiked to a remote beach and then visited the rehabilitation centre to see the penguins up close. I highly recommend this tour.

Published on Nov, 2024

We did the Triple Crown self driving tour. It was a great option allowing a cheaper price and because everything is very close to each other, there was no stress at getting from Point A to B to C. The guides were lovely and knowledgeable and one can tell they are very passionate about what they do and conservation of the wildlife here in NZ! We were very lucky to see heaps of Albatross as well as a pair of Hoiho's strolling in from the ocean to their nests. We enjoyed the boat ride as well with heaps of room aboard and getting up close and personal with the sea birds without invading their space. Very impressed how everyone was very conscious of giving the soldiers the space they needed to not stress them out. Shout out to all of the tour guides! Thank you

Published on Nov, 2024

Great tour with lots of attractions and wildlife seeing. Very enjoyable and lovely memories. Tour operators were very nice and friendly. They provided all information needed to know and answered well when asked.

Published on Oct, 2024

My original Peninsula Encounters and Wildlife Cruise tour was cancelled due to bad weather but Monarch immediately offered a move onto the following day. I'm so glad there was space as this was a fantastic tour of the Otago Peninsula! The guide was Tim, he was full of detailed information and anecdotes, really bringing the lives of the animals we were seeing to life. There are three major stops on the tour, with additional birdwatching from within the minibus (note binoculars are supplied if you don't have them). The first was to get up close to sealions on one of the beaches (which involves walking on sand), the second was the wildlife cruise round the head (takes about an hour) and the last is to try and see yellow eyed penguin coming in off the sea at OPERA (which requires a moderate level of fitness due to steps). We had an exceptionally lucky afternoon/evening and saw two yellow eyed penguins, little penguins, two albatross species, sealions, fur seals and Hector's dolphin. Even if you don't see everything, you are still learning so much about the wildlife in this special place. I wholeheartedly recommend it!