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Historic Dunedin — Drive & Walking Tour

  • Historic Dunedin
Dive into Dunedin’s prosperous past visiting top landmarks including it's famed Railway Station and a grand mansion.
Learn about Dunedin’s fascinating and complicated past on a drive to see landmarks that were built in a time of great wealth and prosperity. View ornate Victorian facades on your way to the city’s famous Railway Station, built in 1906. You’ll then get a tour of the Olveston House, a mansion of treasures including antique furniture, porcelain, paintings, ivory, crystal, and more luxuries that were collected when the owner traveled the world to fill his (many) rooms with beautiful objects.

Sustainable Tours

This tour operator has received third-party certification based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria.

Shore Thing Highlights

  • Enjoy your leisurely drive witnessing preserved Victorian and Edwardian architecture, preserved buildings, and panoramic mountain views

  • Landmarks on your driving tour include the First Church of Otago, Municipal Chambers, Victorian police station, and more

  • With latticework, bluestone, mosaic floors, and copper-domed cupolas, the famous Railway Station was built in a Renaissance Revival style in 1906

  • The Olveston House is one of New Zealand’s top attractions — it features Juliet balconies, prominent chimneys, porcelain, crystal, and more treasures

  • The Olveston House was designed with high-tech luxuries like central heating, a telephone system, service lift, ballroom, plus a five-star garden

Need to know

  • This Shore Thing is wheelchair accessible for collapsible wheelchairs, as well as Sailors who can navigate a few steps on their own

  • Approximately 1-hour guided tour of Olveston Home

  • To protect the floors inside Olveston House, it is requested to not wear shoes with heels

  • Photography is not allowed inside Olveston House

  • This Shore Thing operator has received third-party certification based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council criteria

Experience shores the Virgin way

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    A Sustainable Cause

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    Peace of Mind

    Modify/cancel up to 48hrs before where applicable

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    Transparent Pricing

    No hidden costs, all-inclusive Shore Thing prices

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Shore Things are fully refundable to the original form of payment. However, please note that Shore Things are only fully refundable if they are canceled within 48 hours prior to the booked Shore Thing taking place, unless stated otherwise in a specific Shore Thing 'Need to Know' section. If you fail to either (a) cancel within 48 hours of the booked Shore Thing (or alternative time period as may be stated in a specific Shore Thing 'Need to Know' section), or (b) show up for a booked Shore Thing, you will be charged for 100% of the Shore Thing price. 

If you make a cancellation prior to the first day of your voyage and within 48 hours (unless otherwise stated in the tour details) of your Shore Thing, you will be refunded to the original form of payment after midnight Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the day of cancellation.

If you make another purchase prior to midnight EST, after canceling a booking eligible for a refund, the credit from the canceled booking will be applied to your new booking. Therefore, you’ll only be charged for the price difference between the canceled and new experience. If you have remaining temporary credit left on your account after you’ve made another experience purchase, the remaining credit will be refunded to your original form of payment after midnight EST.

If you cancel a Shore Thing during your voyage and are eligible for a refund, a credit will be applied to your folio and not to your original form of payment.


Shore Things departure times and/or meeting locations are subject to change. We will make every effort to notify Sailors in advance via the Sailor App of any tour departure and/or meeting changes.
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