The Tohu Whenua guide to Otago

Homes of invention and innovation, ancestral landscapes and cycle trails bursting with history are just some of the must-dos you’ll find in our Otago itinerary.

Cruise on the water, tour opulent houses and step back in time as you visit Tohu Whenua in this region.

1. TSS Earnslaw

One of the world’s oldest and largest remaining steamships, offering a 90 minute lake cruise across Lake Wakatipu showcasing some of Queenstown's spectacular alpine scenery. Take time to explore the vessel, view the engine room and study the historic displays of the steamship's former life.

2. Arrowtown
Explore Arrowtown’s picturesque, tree-lined avenues that retain more than 60 of their original gold-rush buildings, including an old gaol. This charming town reveals the stories of two very different goldrush communities: the preserved avenue where wealthy European banks and merchants traded, and the restored huts of Chinese miners who lived a much more modest lifestyle.

3. Bannockburn Sluicings
Explored on foot or mountain bike, this spectacular landscape of cliffs and pinnacles remain from large-scale water blasting during the 19th century search for gold.


4. Kawarau Suspension Bridge

Kawarau Suspension Bridge can be experienced in three ways: bungy jumping off it, cycling over it or walking across it. Bungy jump if you’re feeling adventurous - this is the world’s original commercial bungy venture, begun by A. J. Hackett in 1988. Thousands of people jump off the bridge annually.

5. Otago Central Rail Trail
This popular 152km cycle journey follows the Otago Central railway line that once connected isolated communities in Central Otago with Dunedin. Allow three to four days to enjoy all of the spectacular scenery and warm rural hospitality that the Otago Central Rail Trail is famous for. 

6. Historic Hayes
Historic Hayes belonged to a 19th-century pioneering couple who developed and marketed ingenious labour-saving inventions for pastoral farming. Take a self-guided tour through Ernest Hayes’ engineering workshop with its labyrinth of overhead shafts, belts and pulleys driving various lathes, drills and saws and explore the 1920s homestead with its treasure trove of ingenious domestic devices - that were well ahead of their time in rural New Zealand. 

7. Historic Ōamaru
Ōamaru’s remarkably intact and distinctive Victorian streetscapes are full of quirky galleries, artisan shops, a world-class bakery, cafés, and a boutique brewery, where the staff are often dressed in period costume.

8. Totara Estate
It was from this once grand estate just south of Ōamaru that the first shipment of frozen mutton was sent to England in 1882. Wander through the men’s quarters, stables, granary, cookhouse and slaughterhouse, where displays recollect farm and domestic life on the estate during Victorian times and hear stories of swaggers, farm hands and the Chinese cook. 

9. Huriawa
The Huriawa peninsula, and the surrounding landscapes are home to layer upon layer of treasured Kāi Tahu stories. Take a self-guided Huriawa Pā Walk (a 2.4km loop track) or book a Māori Pā Experience, Māori Waka Experience or an immersive 4 hour package including both to learn about Chief Te Wera, the legendary siege and see the site of the old Waikouaiti Whaling Station and Tavern.

10. Olveston
Built for the wealthy Theomin family who lived here from 1906, Olveston has been loved by visitors since it was gifted to the City of Dunedin in 1966. Join one of several excellent guides for a one-hour tour of the domestic quarters and living areas where the Theomin family displayed their fine art, furniture and artefacts collected from around the world. 

11. Dunedin Railway Station
Often said to be the country’s most photographed building, the Dunedin Railway Station is open to the public to visit. Just a short walk to Dunedin's Octogan, Marvel at the ornate interiors, which includes a beautiful mosaic of a locomotive on the booking hall floor, and a locomotive-themed stained glass window. 

12. Larnach Castle

A visit to Larnach Castle, one of New Zealand’s premier visitor attractions, is a must for all visitors to Dunedin. Explore the castle and extensive gardens on a guided or self-guided tour, and treat yourself to a high tea experience.

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