Magnificent Gardens of Dunedin Tour
A 'must do' tour for all the Botanical enthusiasts or for those who simply love peaceful places and beautiful gardens. We will show you our Dunedin Botanic Garden which was the first established in NZ in June 1863 making it the oldest European gardens in New Zealand. The Dunedin Chinese Garden is relatively new and the only authentic one in the southern hemisphere. It was built by Chinese artisans and is a truly tranquil location in the middle of the city. Glenfalloch on the Otago Peninsula covers 35 acres and was originally a private property. The Peninsula Trust acquired it and now it is a beautiful place to relax and have lunch.

Contact us for a quotation for this itinerary

Itinerary
Dunedin Botanic Garden covers approx 85 acres with many lovely walks make for a wonderful stroll through beautiful areas. The Lower Gardens offer old mature trees - some of the originals are still growing amidst verdant lawns and the rose garden is something to experience and not just for the perfume.

The Winter Garden was built in 1908 and has a tropical collection as well as extensive cacti and succulents. The colourful Rock Garden is awesome and one wonders at the hours of work keeping it weed free with it covering half an acre. In the Upper Garden, which is accessible by road, there is the oldest collection of Rhododendrons in NZ. It was planted in 1912 with 500 bushes and now these have grown into huge trees with incredible contorted trunks and masses of flowers for many months of the year. There are now over 4,000 Rhododendrons in the collection and every colour you can hope for is there. The Azalea garden is a knock over when in full bloom and the perfume from the flowers has to be experienced to be believed.

Next we go down the Peninsula road to Glenfalloch, a garden of great age having been established in 1871. This garden covers 35 acres with many mature trees, one of which is 'Old Matai' a native tree which has survived the settlement by Europeans. It is reputed to be at least 900 years old. Beautiful water features flow through the whole garden and the Rhododendrons and Magnolias are breathtaking. The garden lies in a very sheltered valley with the result that many plants thrive here which struggle elsewhere in Dunedin. We have lunch here (own cost), perhaps on the lawn soaking in the peace and tranquillity.

Reluctantly we leave and return into the city to visit the Dunedin Chinese Garden right in the heart of the city. This is a relatively new garden having been designed in association with our sister city Shanghai. The buildings and even the 'moonstones' were brought from China and Chinese artisans came here to build it all without nails and it is the only authentic Chinese Garden in the Southern Hemisphere. Chinese miners came to Otago during the 1860's gold rush and worked in often cold, difficult circumstances for what gold they could extract after the first miners had left. Some of them decided to stay and establish other businesses and we owe it to their descendants for the inspiration to honour their memory with this wonderful asset for the city.

We travel back to the ship taking in some more interesting City Sights along the way.

Duration 7.5 hours
Starts 0830hrs
Ends 1600hrs

Times are adjusted to suit ship ETA and ETD


You will see
Beautiful trees, flowers, shrubs and landscaping.
Possibly some native song birds.


What's Included
Comfortable transport
Experienced guide
All entry fees
Pick up and drop off at ship
Maybe time for shopping


General Info
This tour is a small group tour using quality minibuses. Involves easy walking but sensible shoes advised. Sunhats and sunscreen on sunny days. Our UV rays are harsher down under!


Meals
No meals are included in this tour

Conditions
This tour requires a minimum of 6 persons to operate.

Please see our Shore Trips Booking Terms & Conditions