Great Organization and purpose but not great for most visitors! This was one of our first tourist stops on our two week visit. As a family we appreciated the efforts of the family to guide and protect the animals and all of the hard work they have put into their animal hospital, the blinds and tunnels they built to get to the animal habitats without disturbing the animals, and their passion and dedication. However, from the visitor perspective, it was a hard and long hike to get to the blinds where you may see a penguin and we spent two hours there. The hike back up to the bus was very hard on the older people in the group - several elderly people struggled to get back up the hill. We did see one penguin that rested near the top blind (before the hike) and that was it. There were also three penguins in the parking lot area hospital (was kinda sad). If I were looking for an adventure, I would go to Natures Wonders, down the road (more expensive but better sights), and maybe stop by here for the conservation presentation and the hospital visit - skip the walk unless you are in shape, join a late day tour, and have a lot of patience. read more

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I love that this area is so dedicated to wildlife conservation. While we didn't see as many penguins as I had hoped, the tour was still informational & for a good cause If you're a student there is a small discount on admission read more

The tour was amazing, even though we were here off-season. We managed to see 4 penguins, and got some great pictures. The bird blinds were a bit squeezed, but the more, the warmer! Since it was winter, the air got very cold as the sun went down, so make sure to bring warm clothes. This would be one tour that would be great to have a high definition zoom camera lens to get some great pics of the penguins. I took pictures with my phone, so I don't have many great ones. We also got a special treat - we got to see the hospitalized penguins get fed! The company has a small penguin hospital where they rehabilitate sick or injured penguins. Those were some of my best pictures of the penguins, but the background wasn't great, because they were in dirt floor pens. The tour guides were kind and open to answering questions, great place overall! read more

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This is an informative place to visit. The friendly, knowledgeable, patient staff members were equally respective of the animals as well as the guests. The scenery was pretty, and it was fun to see penguins and seals up close. To me, it was also entertaining to wander quietly in a group through the warren of covered trenches; during the winter, it did get dark toward the end of the afternoon tour though, so you have to watch your step and pay close attention to the person in front of you. We were lucky to see a few penguins, but the staff emphasized that whether you get to see any penguins, and how many you might get to see, is purely up to chance. read more

If you're here to skim and get a quick suggestion - 1. Listen to the advice of the people who run the place; they will let you know the best tour to join based on how the season has been going. 2. Go later in the day. 3. Take allergy medicine - almost everyone in my tour group had the sniffles and sneezes while sneaking through the "tunnels" to see the penguins; a sneeze or two almost ruined a wonderful moment. 4. Pray that you get to see the penguins. 5. Have your mind melt over the magic that is the yellow-crested penguin. 6. Rewatch all the videos and photos you took for years to come. :) Overall, this was an amazing experience wrought with lots of knowledge, friendly guides, and, of course, New Zealand nature and wildlife. I was completely impressed with their complete transparency when I first attempted to book an earlier tour: "This year, we only have one chick. If you go at an earlier time, before the penguins return from feeding, you may not see any more than just the single chick. So, we suggest you go later." And we planned accordingly. When we arrived there, they again told us how this year had been particularly rough for the penguins and so sightings were not guaranteed. The most we could do was go later and hope for the best. Again, I really appreciated their transparency and purchased my ticket. The beginning of the tour started with some good penguin trivia and information (as a fellow nerd, I love that sort of stuff). It wasn't too long, but it was definitely informative. The guide did a great job catering to all ages in the group (from infants to grandparents). Then, we split up into our groups. My group ended up seeing the penguin hospital first, before we head off to the nesting grounds. On our hike to the nesting grounds, we got to see the seals and even some blue penguins nesting in their boxes along the trail. It was a pleasant walk, but nothing too exciting. We had been informed that the group before us had seen two penguins return to shore, but no more activity had been sighted since. Still our guide continually monitored his radio, determined to let us know the moment he heard news of more penguins. When we went into the tunnels, we saw the two penguins the group before us had seen sunbathing. Our guide was providing us with information about the penguins and answering our questions, when he heard something on his radio and brought it up to his ear. Then, our guide's eyes lit up as he pulled the radio away from his face and tried to maintain a whisper as he exclaimed, "The mom's coming back now - we're going to be able to catch her! Let's go!" If I didn't know any better, I would have thought it was the first time he witnessed this event - his excitement was even more than some of the tourists. Immediately, we were off! Our group arrived to the viewing station a literal 30 seconds before the mom waddled up to the chick. She looked directly at all of us as we huddled with our phones and cameras out, watching as she stopped not more than 8 feet away from us. Then, she let out a squawk to her chick before continuing on her way. The moment the chick saw her it ran as fast as a penguin can ran to meet her. I cannot recount how many times I have rewatched that video with my family. We watched the mom feed her chick for a couple minutes thereafter before we had to return. We were the only group that not only saw the mom, but got to watch the feeding. Later, the guide told us that such a moment was incredibly rare, he had only witnessed it once in the 7-10 years he had worked there. So, I will honestly admit that I might have thought the price was a little steep (and even those who ran the place seemed to imply they agreed with sheepish grins and shrugs when they saw my poorly-masked look of surprise when I heard the total price) IF I had not seen the magical moment of the mom coming back to feed the sole chick of the season. Still, I think it is worth the risk. read more

I've been here twice and I love this place. I will say it's an unforgettable experience. The experience can be variable because this is not a zoo...It is a natural habitat with wild penguins. I makes it all the more special if you get to see the cute animals close up! read more

We went on a guided tour for a close-up viewing of the rare yellow eyed penguins. The tour started with a short talk on the issues yellow eyed penguins are facing, the lifecycle and how the conservation project was carried out. We then went on a short bus rid to the reserve area. We were guided by foot to see the living and breeding areas of the penguins. This is quite a unique experience to see the penguins. read more

Penguin Place - Active Life Near Me - Dunedin, OTA

An absolute must-visit. Penguin Place was created by a family dedicated to preserving the yellow-banded penguins in New Zealand. Setting aside a tract of their land as a reserve protected by the government, this strip of beach and land has been developed into a penguin community and designed so that humans can go up close and personal without bothering these beautiful birds. For the price of your ticket you will get a brief history of Penguin Place, a short bus ride to the reserve and the guarantee of snapping photos from up to 20 feet away. If you're lucky, you may even get to see some babies, or some penguins returning home from the ocean. The reserve built trenches with peep holes to allow humans to view the penguins from such short distances without disturbing them. This will require a few short walks up and down dirt paths. A great experience and definitely worth the trip while in Dunedin. Consider following up your experience with a trip to the Albatross reserve. read more

Wow! The tour was so worth it. The closest you will ever get to them. Our tour guide Matt was so knowledgeable. Loved the tour.:)