BACK TO NATURE TOURS
📍 Central Dunedin, Otago South
Back to Nature Tours runs small-group guided tours of Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula with guide Chris Roberts. The tour covers native wildlife, coastal scenery, and the Port Chalmers township, with a drop-off in central Dunedin at the end.
🏆 Family Action Verdict
Families and couples describe Chris as an outstanding guide - knowledgeable, personable, and attentive to the group's pace and interests. Reviewers who chose this tour over larger operators say the access and personal attention make it a clearly superior experience.
ℹ️ What to Know Before You Go
💬 What Families Are Saying
View all reviews →25 Google reviews
G Reviews from Google
Barbara Kelly
9 months ago
“Such a great tour!! Chris Roberts was wonderful!!! Knowledgeable, personable and truly delightful. We chose this instead of the free cruise tour, and are so glad we did. We were able to go places that the large tour bus could not. And it was much more personal with many hop off photo sites. I would highly recommend this!”
Robye Lumb
7 months ago
“Picking the morning tour is a definite advantage as it gave us a bit of time afterwards for a bite and to check out the quaint town of Port Chambers. Our operator Chris greeted us with fun energy and provided a well instructed tour with lots of personal, professional and historical information. We got to see quite a few local locales, including the Famous Baldwin Street, Guinness World Record holder for the steepest public road in the world; we got to check out Dunedin briefly, having a momentary stop at the train station to check out its beautiful architecture and decor. He then pointed out the “Mollars” before we drive to Allans Beach. Along the way, pointed out the trap boxes and explained what those were for, helping the indigenous wildlife region; ending at an extremely windy but beautiful time at Allans Beach seeing a couple sea lion bulls, and a female sea lion, who is hiding from them, and even a rare elephant seal bull that was somewhat out of place in the region taking a nap. The only real thing we would advise is maybe extending the tour another 30 to 45 minutes so we could stop occasionally or spend a little more time at the stops we had. The tour was enjoyable but did feel a bit rushed.”
Nikki Yates
2 years ago
“This was a spectacular tour we were blown away. We loved our guide, who was NZ scottish. He did the best job- a careful considerate driver on some tight steep roads (some tours drive wild and it isnt fun. This was not the case here we felt safe) We saw the most wonderful scenery and wildlife seeing the nz sealions on the beach and reserve was a highlight of my life and our cruise ship. Pick up and drop off at ship or drop off in dunedin if wanting to explore. Plenty of time. Highly recommend this tour!”
📊 Commonly mentioned in Google reviews
Based on Google review tagsKnowledgeable guide
6 reviews
Wildlife
5 reviews
Sea lions
4 reviews
Cruise ship
4 reviews
Personable guide
2 reviews
Overview
Back to Nature Tours runs small-group guided tours from central Dunedin along the Otago Peninsula. Guide Chris Roberts leads personally at every stop, covering native wildlife, coastal scenery, and the heritage of Port Chalmers. The small group format gives access to routes unavailable to larger operators. Wildlife sightings include seabirds and seals depending on season. The tour finishes with a drop-off in Dunedin town centre, and morning tours allow additional time in Port Chalmers.
