After the Dunedin Marathon: The Otago Peninsula

The Route: Dunedin → Portobello → Penguin Place → Taiaroa Head → Dunedin Logistics: Hire car or small-group wildlife tour. The drive follows the marathon course along Portobello Road. Marathon Month: September Duration: Day trip

Dunedin ──(approx. 30 mins, Portobello Rd)──> Portobello ──(approx. 20 mins)──> Taiaroa Head / Penguin Place
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The Dunedin Marathon starts at Portobello in mid-September, runs out towards the tip of the Otago Peninsula, and turns just short of the wildlife that made the peninsula famous. The day after, go back along the same road by car, and keep going to the end.

September on the Otago Peninsula is early spring, and a busy time for the wildlife. Northern royal albatrosses return to Taiaroa Head from about September to court and nest, while last season's chicks, huge and fluffy, are preparing to fledge. Yellow-eyed penguins, hoiho in Māori and among the rarest penguins in the world, are coming ashore to their nest sites. The weather is cold and changeable, and the headland is exposed. Dress for winter.

The road out along Portobello Road is narrow and winding, following the harbour shore. Allow 45 minutes to an hour to Taiaroa Head. Several Dunedin operators run wildlife tours that include both sites, with transport, which spares the driver the narrow road on tired legs.

Taiaroa Head and the Royal Albatross Centre

Taiaroa Head, Pukekura in Māori, at the tip of the peninsula, holds the only mainland breeding colony of royal albatrosses in the world. The birds have a wingspan of about three metres and spend most of their lives at sea. The Royal Albatross Centre runs guided tours to an observatory overlooking the nests, reached by a short uphill path with some steps; the tour takes about an hour. Albatrosses fly best in wind, and the headland rarely lacks it. Check tour times and prices, and book ahead.

The headland also holds Fort Taiaroa, built in the 1880s against a feared Russian invasion, with a disappearing gun that still survives in its pit.

Penguin Place

Penguin Place, near the headland, is a private conservation reserve for yellow-eyed penguins, which were once close to vanishing from the peninsula. Guided tours take visitors through a network of covered trenches and hides dug into the farmland, so the penguins can be watched at close range without being disturbed. The trenches are narrow with some gentle slopes; the tour takes about 90 minutes. Book ahead, and check the current price.

Larnach Castle

On the way back, the road over the peninsula's spine leads to Larnach Castle, a Gothic Revival mansion built by the banker and politician William Larnach from 1871. The house has steep internal stairs and the gardens slope; a visit on day two after a marathon is best kept to the ground floor and the café.

Getting Back

Dunedin is about 50 minutes from Taiaroa Head. Light fades early in September; drive the harbour road back in daylight, as it has few barriers between the road and the water.