Travel Answers

Dunedin

hello all I am looking for advice about hiring a car in Otago. My plan is to fly into Queenstown and out of Dunedin - ideally I'd like to hire a car at Queenstown airport and drop it off at Dunedin airport, but if that's going to be very expensive I might decide to drive back to Queenstown and drop the car off there. Any advice? I want to pay the lowest rate possible - am I crazy to expect that from a smaller town? Also, I am arriving the day before the long weekend in March, will that affect prices, do you think? thanks for any input Karin

Is it possible to see the albatrosses flying about without joining the tour?

Hi, we are going to ireland v italy game on 2nd october( last minute tickets), we have a camper van but all campsites powered and unpowered seem to be totally booked up as well as any type of accommodation. can anybody help? We are more than happy to sleep in the campervan but know that we cant just pull up on the side of road. any help would be appreciated!Thanks!

My friend and I are 2 avid 65 year olds travelling to Dunedin for the game on October 2nd and would like a bed for the night please. Can recipicrate if you want a bed in Christchurch sometime. thanks a million, Shirley

Hi, My 3 friends and I are going to be in Dunedin for 1 night on the 2nd October for Ireland v Italy game and we can't find accommodation anywhere. Could someone reply if they know of anything going? Thanks in advance, Eamonn

We will be going to the west coast, Franz Josef Glazier, etc, from Dunedin. Looking at the map, there are two possible routes. Which of these two is the fastest ? Going north, Dunedin-Palmerston-Ranfurly-Clyde-Cromwell-Wanaka ? Or going south, Dunedin-Mosgiel-Milton-Roxburgh-Clyde-Cromwell-Wanaka? Or is there any other fastest route ? From the map, the northern route passing thru Palmerston look shorter. But the shortest route may not be the fastest. Thank you. Khalid48 Malaysia

I'm visiting Dunedin next week by cruise ship and am just wondering how easy it might be to get to the Southern Cemetery from the cruise terminal please. My 2x great grandmother is buried there. We only have a day in port and of course we also want to go into the city. My last visit to Dunedin was in 1974, also only a brief stopover! Thanks very much for your help.

We will be visiting New Zealand for a family wedding in Auckland in April. This is our first visit and we'll only have 6 days on the South Island. There seems to be so much to see, so we're trying to narrow our choices to what is unique and/or particularly spectacular! So far we've decided to spend 2 nights in Te Anau either side of an overnight cruise on the Milford Sound. That way we can fit in a couple of 3 - 4 hour hikes in the area (off the Milford Rd). Then we'll finish with a day and a night in Queenstown before we fly out. We're wondering if April is a good time to see the penguins and albatrosses on the Otago peninsular, in which case we would fly into Dunedin and spend a night there before driving to Te Anau. Or should we spend a night in Mt. Cook Village and do some more hiking? We love hiking and mountains, but we would also welcome the opportunity to experience some of the region's unique wildlife. Any advice would be appreciated.

coming on princess cruise to dunedin december how far to dunedin tourist centre can you recommend cheaper excursions than offered by the cruise line

Hello! Thank you for all the advice on NZ! Sooo helpful! After our penguin tour, we will have 3-4 hours left. Debating whether to walk around Dunedin or Port Chalmers, where our cruise ship will be docked. Any suggestions? Thanks,Diane

Having seen the very useful posting from Kakapo2 (20/10/08), we want to get from Port Chalmers (cruise ship, due in 8am) to the Railway Station for the 9 30am Taieri Gorge train on a Tuesday (16/12). Does the bus go close to the Station? Is it pratical at that time of day? Would we do better to try and get a taxi (approx cost) from the ship? Many thanks Roger

Hi Our first stop in South island will be Dunedin. I am travelling with my parents and my kid. Questions 1. Should we rent a car in Dunedin or just use public transportation. 2. Also, is the train ride from dunedin to queenstown worth it.Should we drive from dunedin to queenstown 3. We will be in dunedin for 2 nights, should we drive to catlins. There is so much to see in Dunedin. Please suggest Thanks

We are arriving by cruise ship and need to know if there is any transportation available from Port Chalmers to Dunedin. The cruise ship excursions are ridiculously expensive.

Hi, I'll be travelling to NZ in Nov and wild life watching is one of my favourite. For yellow penguin watching in Dunedin and blue penguin in Oamaru, which one is better? How many yellow penguins are expected to see if I join a local tour in Dunedin? is it worth the price? Btw, does anyone know how to get to Dunedin and Oamaru from Mt Cook by public transport? Thanks in advance! Regards, NSK

Can I see the Larnch Castle on my own or do I need a tour. Is there a bus or cab that goes there. I am on a cruise ship and am looking to see the city and Cadbury factory too. Any help? Bonnie

could someone pls advise on how best to get from dunedin to auckland? i've found that it'll cost me about 300dollars return for airfare. Will buses be more affordable or worse? I guess time and extra costs will factor in for land travelling as I'd have to put up overnights on the way there, yes?

pls anyone knows the public transport website of Dunedin, can you tell me? is there any public bus that goes to the Otago Peninsula and how long does it take to travel there from the city centre? I found some information about a bus called citibus (gold and blue color) that offers6 all day fare. Does anyone know where I can catch this bus from the city? Also, I'm planning to stay at this backpacker 36 Arden Street, Opoho , Dunedin, New Zealand. Do you know how far it is from the CBD and how to get there by public bus? Many thanks for your help!

Can you tell me how far it was from Dunedin to the Catlins, Thanks

I am working on my itinerary to New Zealand during the latter part of November, and early December. I am considering visiting Dunedin, but my time is limited. I'd like to see the penguins, and albatros colony, but my time would be short, and I was wondering if I should go or not. As of now, would probably be arriving from Te Anau, arriving around 4 pm, and departing next day to head to Mt. Cook. Therefore, I think going to Dunedin would be out of the way, but maybe worth the time. I just wish I had more time, but I don't and can't help but want to "see and do it all." With that, I thought, we'll lets go for it, but now I am starting to wonder whether to go or not. So, I just thourght I'd ask on this forum what others thought. Thanks for your help.

Hi there My niece (!!) is off to start her Foundation Year at University of Otago this February. I will be there with her for a month before flying back home. The catch is that while she's a Malaysian, she was born in NZ and is considered by the university as a "local" student and therefore accomodation at the university is not guaranteed. Considering that neither one of us have ever been in NZ (except for her in her baby days), could someone advice us on temporary accomodation for both of us and then permanent accomodation for her alone? Would be great if it's within walking distance from the campus. (Actually I have no idea where exactly the University is located). Also, what would be considered reasonable rates? Thanks so much in advance! :)

Is there any motorhome rental company operating out of Dunedin? It suits me to fly in/out of Dunedin but the major rental companies don't appear to have depots there.

We are on a coach trip and arrive in Dunedin in the evening and then have the morning free. Is it possible to get a trip to the penisular to see the penguins in this time.

We are planning a NZ trip and have found 2 places to stay in Dunedin that both look good, 858 George Street Motel and Motel on York. We would appreciate any comments on the location, convenience, noise etc. that would help us decide between the 2. Motel on York appears to be close to the Octagon -- is that good or bad? Which would have better access to restaurants and shopping? Any help would be appreciated.

I'm going to be living in Dunedin for about a year. I'm from Los Angeles so I am really used to great Sushi. Is there a good Sushi place you can recommend? Any neighborhoods that would be good to rent a house in for a family of 3? My baby is going to be a year old in 2 weeks... so no places next to a lot of University students. I don't think they'd appreciate any night crying! LOL

I'm a college student from the United States and I plan on spending next semester at the University of Otago. I'm a Chem major and I was mostly wondering how hard the course work is compared to American Univerisities. Mostly to arrange how many classes, papers, to take. Also, any other practical tips would be welcomed about NZ college life, or NZ in general. Thanks! :)

Hi! I'll be staying in Dunedin for a while and was wondering if anybody could recommend a good hostel? I have a BBH card, so I'd prefer it to be a BBH, and I'll be using public transport, so something easily accessible would be preferred. Thanks!