Elm Wildlife Tours Dunedin

Elm Wildlife Tours presents absolutely unrivalled sustainable Nature and Wildlife experiences on the Otago Peninsula and South-Eastern Coast.

Elm Wildlife Tours’ principle endeavour is their long term project to increase the yellow-eyed penguins available breeding area through replanting native habitat within their wildlife sanctuary.

Activity Options

Peninsula Encounters Standard Tour

• 5 to 6 hour, small group, ‘wildlife packed’ tours on the beautiful Otago Peninsula
• Conducted during the afternoon/evening to coincide with lots of animal activity, particularly the arrival home from the sea of yellow-eyed penguins
• Knowledgeable guides will inform you of activity being viewed and visit places to view Hooker’s Sea Lions, Yellow-eyed Penguins, Blue Penguins, NZ Fur Seals and Royal Albatross
• A further 25-30 other estuarine and marine bird species are seen during the experience
• Close up unobtrusive viewing from beach locations and observation hides is guaranteed

This tour has three available inclusion options see below….

1. Peninsula Encounters including the Royal Albatross Centre

• If you want to see the world’s biggest sea bird close-up, then this is as good as it gets
• Your tour guide will deliver you to the Royal Albatross centre to join the one hour tour, before rejoining with your Peninsula Encounters Tour guide

* Note available during the Albatross nest building period from 16th September to 24th November

2. Peninsula Encounters including Monarch Wildlife Cruises & Tours

• Your Elm tour guide will drop you at Weller’s Rock to board the boat, ‘Monarch’, for an hour seabird and wildlife viewing cruise on the ocean to a point below the Albatross Colony, for a unique view of these birds. Your Elm guide will meet you upon your return to start your Peninsula Encounters Tour.

3. Peninsula Encounters including Wild Earth

• Imagine kayaking on the peaceful harbour, with no noise but the sound of your own paddle, the ocean, sea birds and seals
• After three hours on the water, you join our Peninsula Encounters Tour

* During the summer period this may involve 3 hours to fill in between completing your Kayak adventure, to joining our land based section. We suggest you have lunch at Portobello and then visit the Portobello marine Aquarium then join our tour at Portobello at an arranged time.

Wildlife Coast Explorer

Private one day or multiday tour. Build your own personalised tour of the Southern Coast. Whether you have only a day to spare, or a whole week, we can help you have an amazing southern coast experience.

Explorer locations:

• Wild Peninsula: coastal farms, small bays and inlets, rugged hills and white sand beaches. Witness one of the worlds rarest penguin species, Hooker’s Sea-lions, a Fur Seal breeding colony and Royal Albatross
• Wild North Coast: idyllic fishing villages with seabirds and seals, turquoise blue seas with dolphins at play, Blue Penguins at Oamaru and a beach strewn with boulders larger than you!
• Wild South Coast: rugged coastline with breathtaking vistas of the ocean, meandering rivers, rolling farmlands, white sand beaches, Sea-lions, seals and the Yellow-eyed Penguin
• Wild Catlins Coast: tranquil rivers with waterfalls, petrified forest and native birdlife. Ocean beaches with sealions, penguins, dolphins and seals. Here the unique wildlife reigns supreme
• Wild Island Coast: imagine 700 Km of coast, 20 kilometres of road and just 390 people. View the flightless Kiwi in the wild, Kaka, Native Pigeon, Tui, Bellbirds, seals, penguins, sealions and dolphins

Catlins Encounters

Organise a group and take time to experience the beauty and tranquility of this rugged and pristine coastal wilderness. The only place where Fur Seals, Hookers Sea-lions and Elephant Seals coexist.

Visit areas where flocks of seabirds including Spotted Shags, Gannets, Shearwaters and occaisionally penguins can be seen. Highlights of our tour can include:

• Nugget Point – one of New Zealand’s oldest lighthouses
• Surat and Cannibal Bays – sandy beaches and ancient Maori sites
• Catlins River Walk – beautiful walk through native forest
• Jack’s Blowhole – a two hundred metre deep hole excavated by the sea
• Pounawea – walking track through native forest and saltmarsh
• Purakaunui Scenic Reserve – bird sanctuary and famous waterfalls
• Tahakopa Bay – fantastic beach with coastal dunes
• Tautuku – some of the best views along the Catlins coast
• Porpoise Bay – Hector’s Dolphins playing in the surf and near the fossilised forest
• Cathedral Caves – spectacular sea caves over 30 metres high
• Catlins Lake and River – migratory and wading birds in their natural habitat

* If you wish to spend more than one day in the Catlins, you can do this by either camping out in this amazing corner of New Zealand or pre-arranging backpacker or B&B accommodation.

Departures

Peninsula Encounters:

12:45pm mid winter, 3.35pm mid-summer, to coincide with changing animal activity & daylight hours. These can be confirmed when making reservations.

Participants will be collected from, and returned to any City or Peninsula accommodation, the Dunedin Visitor centre or arranged points on route.

Wild Coast Explorer:

Private tours depart by reservation arrangement.

Catlins Encounters:

Full day nature tours are only available on condition of minimum group of 6 persons, pick up 8 am.

Location

The Cove, Dunedin, New Zealand.