Dunedin & The Otago Peninsula

Dunedin & The Otago Peninsula trip ideas

Guided Evening Penguin Viewing Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, New Zealand

Name: Guided Evening Penguin Viewing Otago Peninsula, Dunedin, New Zealand
Brand: Blue Penguins Pukekura
SKU: 333256P1
Price: 29.84 USD
Rating: 5.0 (187 reviews)

Badge of ExcellenceHarington Point, New Zealand

From US$29.84

Select Date and Travelers

Free cancellation

Up to 24 hours in advance.

Dunedin & The Otago Peninsula Tours

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Larnach Castle Tours & Tickets Penguin Place Tours & Tickets Central Otago Tours & Tickets Olveston Historic Home (Olveston House) Tours & Tickets Dunedin Cruise Port (Port Chalmers) Tours & Tickets Royal Albatross Centre Tours & Tickets Taieri Gorge Railway Tours & Tickets

Nearby

South Island

1 hour 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

Time your visit to the Otago Peninsula so you can see hundreds of little blue penguins returning home to roost after a day at sea. The 90-minute evening tour begins with a walk through the penguin reserve, where you’ll learn about the penguins and their environment. Then, watch them waddle up the beach from your hidden spot. This is a must-do tour for nature and bird enthusiasts.

Photography is allowed (without flash)
Look out for other wildlife, such as fur seals, sea lions, and albatross
Learn more from an expert biologist/conservationist guide
See penguins up close without disturbing them

What's Included

All Fees and Taxes

No transport provided, guests need to drive themselves to our reserve

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Blue Penguins Pukekura
1245 Harington Point Road, Harington Point 9077, New Zealand
For this option you need to self-drive to the end of the Otago Peninsula. There is plenty of parking. Meet your Blue Penguin Pukekura guides and start your tour inside the albatross centre at Taiaroa Head at the end of the Otago Peninsula.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate

This tour option is for those with their own transport to get to our location. If you do not have a car then book our other tour option that has transport
Tour involves a 100m walk along a boardwalk that has over 30 inbuilt steps along it
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 75 travelers

Operated by Blue Penguins Pukekura

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jodie_M

What a delight. The guides were excellent and the penguins were adorable. Highly recommended for all ages.

Reviews

5.0

187 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 187 reviews

Rrrrrgggrrrruuuurrrrggggcccc - apparently penguin for hello

Andre_T, Sept 2023

Penguins are so cute. I had to buy a stuffed one as a momento of our visit. The fact that it was howling a gale only made the experience more special.

Great experience with conservation in mind

SanSan_L, Aug 2023

The whole experience and the conservation effort was amazing… kudos to the establishment who start this effort and allow public to have the intimate experience

Amazing experience

Vincent_R, Aug 2023

Listening to the penguins as they shuffled up the beach. Seeing them tumble over each other was cute. I would highly recommend this to everyone

Amazing!

Kristen_S, Jun 2023

Overall fantastic experience! Our guides were excellent and the penguins were absolutely amazing to watch coming out of the water. An added bonus was seeing a sea lion on the beach. Highly recommend this adventure!

Such an amazing...

Rog_W, Jun 2023

Such an amazing experience! Pretty cold the evening we did it haha. But so many penguins and the platform is so close to them. All the family enjoyed it :)

Well worth the money.

Tamara_P, Mar 2023

Wonderful watching the penguins come up the beach. And hearing all the different social sounds they make.

Magical experience!

Avril_B, Mar 2023

Listened to a very informative talk about penguins and Maori heritage before going outside to the viewing deck. Leon and Haydn were excellent guides. Watching the little penguins come ashore under the stars of the Southern Sky was amazing.

Amazing evening with the penguins!

Kelly_J, Feb 2023

This is more than just a tour, it is a visit with knowledgeable conservationists and cultural preservation experts. The guides are part of an organization that protects the penguins and is recuperating the native environment of the land in the area to native plants and trees. One of our guides could trace his family history in the area back hundreds of years to the Maori people who first settled in the area. If you are interested in seeing the blue penguins in a carefully cultivated environment that cares for the animals, the history and the land, this is the tour for you. The penguins are adorable and watching them come home at night is an experience not to be missed if you are anywhere in the Otago region. I highly recommend it for any animal lover. It was highly informative and lots of fun.

Great!

Wendy_V, Feb 2023

Great explanation of nature and culture with enthousiastic guides. We had a great and informative evening

Blue penguins

Carole_J, Feb 2023

Seeing the penguins come in. There were so many of them, and I was able to see them clearly. The guides were excellent

Must do activity!

Kirsty_M, Feb 2023

Unforgettable penguin experience!! They passed only a metre away from us and we got to see there babies too!

Penguin Viewing Dream

Allan_C, Jan 2023

Watching the penguins come ashore was so exciting! We loved seeing the babies as they waited for their parents come to feed them, and we enjoyed learning about the history of the peninsula. It was all a huge treat. Thanks so much for making a dream come true.

Well worth the time & miney!

Kenneth_G, Jan 2023

What a memorial evening! The Guides were fabulous giving us all sorts of information & fun facts about these darling blue penguins! A bonus was the history of the Moari people. The guides gave us all the time we wanted to view these special creatures returning from the sea to their hungry babies- they gave us a bit of a walk about to see where & how these penguins lived and we saw the babies waiting for their dinner. All tickets money goes to preserve & help the colony. I highly recommend this adventure for any age!

Penguins ashore

Maureen_B, Jan 2023

Seeing the penguins waddling up the shore was amazing. We must have seen at least 80 or more penguins in total. The viewing was preceded by a very informative talk. Excellent evening.

When the penguins first...

Stuart_E, Jan 2023

When the penguins first came out of the waves and ran up the beach. Also watching the adults feeding the chicks.

Highly recommend

Carolynn_M, Jan 2023

The guides were very knowledgable & made this a wonderful experience. We would recommend this as a great family opportunity.

Not blue about doing this at all

Viv, Jan 2023

The talk at the beginning although educational was not engaging. Perhaps it could be done on the viewing platform while we wait for the penguins. The evening could be shortened to an hour. Great communication prior to the evening regarding requirements. Highly recommend this activity.

What a delight!

Jodie_M, Jan 2023

What a delight. The guides were excellent and the penguins were adorable. Highly recommended for all ages.

A very special experience:)

Maja_K, Jan 2023

A lot of interesting information about the history of NZ and the little penguins. We had a windy and rainy night. Raincoat is useful:) I saw about 6 groups of penguins coming out of the water. What a great experience!

Fantastic experience

Fiona_M, Dec 2022

Friendly faces, stories, bikkies and of course fabulous blue penguins. What more could you ask for? Well organised, good communication about times etc, and ran like clockwork.