Olveston Historic Home Guided Tour

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. All tours are guided by our professional staff to give you the ultimate time capsule experience. You will learn about how a wealthy merchant family lived in the early 1900's in Otago's major town, Dunedin, built on gold. Olveston has all its original contents with over 120 art works. After your tour of over 13 spectacular rooms enjoy, in your own time, Olveston's one acre garden which is a Garden of National Significance. Our well stocked gift shop offers many items made locally.

   1.3 hAdmission included

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 223 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Touring Olverston

  Olverston is amazing....so beautifully preserved. Our guide, Ray, was also amazing. So full of knowledge & factual information. He didn't rush us, he made us feel very welcome and special & is definitely an asset to the House. Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.

  47judemJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A must see if staying in Dunedin!

  A must see if staying in Dunedin! We had a guided tour of the house, which is stunning! Beautifully built and finished to the highest standards. Left to the people of Dunedin by the daughter! Amazing. ;-) Fascinating learning about the family, including the treasures that brought back from their many overseas trips!

  Z7952YQrobynhJune 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Well done

  Very knowledgeable guide, well restored property.

  niccG2242DOMay 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A Dunedin beauty not to be missed

  If you love visiting historic homes, this one will top your list. Olveston was built by a wealthy family in 1904-1906. It was gifted by the family to the city and its interior is truly beautiful and totally authentic to the era it was built. A few of the rugs are the only replicas made to exactly the same design as the originals. Inga knew every detail about the house and it was a fascinating look into how the residence functioned.

  XcitedToTravelMay 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Wonderful experience

  Tour was very informative and the guide friendly with visible passion for history.

  Trip49725351356April 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5Fascinating glimpse into the past

  I really enjoyed the tour of this historic merchant home in Dunedin. You get to explore a lot of the house, and most of the furniture and artifacts are preserved from the days when members of the Theomin family lived there (up to the 1960s). There are lots of little surprises and some items that would have been state-of-the-art a century ago; many are still quite impressive today! Our guide Kevin was incredible - full of interesting stories about the history of the house and the Theomin family, plus the wider social and historic context of the time. He was so engaging and brought the place to life. There's also an interesting little gift shop and a pleasant garden with an original (restored) 1921 Fiat. Definitely a highly recommended tour.

  scottmP9April 2026via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Dunedin

• Its from-price is 87% below the median of the 95 experiences we list in Dunedin.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 11 of 95.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Dunedin

Dunedin is a Scottish-founded university city on New Zealand's South Island, beside the Otago Peninsula and its albatrosses, penguins and seals.

Dunedin was founded in 1848 by Scottish settlers, and its name is the Gaelic form of Edinburgh. The Octagon, an eight-sided plaza at the centre, is ringed by St Paul's Cathedral and the town hall and holds a statue of Robert Burns. Victorian and Edwardian buildings of dark stone fill the streets, among them the Flemish-style railway station and the Gothic First Church. The University of Otago, the country's oldest, gives the city a student character.

Top-ranked sights in Dunedin: Dunedin Railway Station , Baldwin Street, Larnach Castle.

See all 95 experiences in Dunedin