Half Day Heritage Tours

Double Deck Bus Tour

Enjoy a one-hour introductory tour to life and times in this 'city of firsts'. Scottish Presbyterian settlers arrived here in 1848 and the incorporation of the City Council in 1865 was the first in New Zealand. Dunedin also lays claim to NZ's first university, first girls' high school, first chocolate factory, first public botanic gardens, first daily newspaper, first cable car public transport, first kerosene street-lighting and first public art gallery. The first telephone call in New Zealand was also made here and we include the world's steepest street, Baldwin St., on the tour. In the 19th century, Dunedin was a progressive and vibrant centre of NZ's commerce, culture and education.

Departs from the Visitor Centre, Octagon.

• A lookout over Dunedin harbour & city
• Olveston stately home (set-down stop)
• NZ's first botanical garden
• NZ's first University
• Dunedin's classic old railway station & courthouse precinct
• The world's steepest street
• Speights Brewery

Double Deck with Ovelston Tour

The Double Deck Bus Tour above with an Olveston stately home guided tour.

Depart from the Visitor Centre in the double decker bus on a tour of Dunedin's heritage highlights arriving at Olveston stately home for a one hour guided tour. This intimate experience of the life of an affluent Dunedin family in the early years of the 20th century perfectly complements your double deck bus heritage tour. In 1904 David Theomin, one of Dunedin's most successful businessmen, commissioned his stately home. Since the death of his daughter Dorothy in 1966, the home has been faithfully preserved under a trust deed. The experience is authentic from the treasures collected during the family's extensive travels to the crockery and cutlery that were used by the family and the kitchen utensils used by the servants. After this tour your double deck bus continues to the world's steepest street, NZ's oldest university and the magnificent railway station/ courthouse precinct before returning back to the Octagon city centre.