Olveston Historic Home
Olveston Historic Home
Olveston Historic Home
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
A 'must visit' for lovers of art, heritage and history, Olveston is lavishly furnished with exotic artefacts, prized artworks, antique furniture, ceramics and statues from around the world. The 35-room Edwardian mansion was designed for a one of Dunedin's most prominent businessmen, philanthropists and collectors during the early 1900s. The house was gifted to the people of Dunedin in 1966, fully furnished with the original contents, Olveston is a time capsule as little has changed inside the house since it was occupied as a family home. The house and its 'Garden of National Significance', within the city's Green Belt, can be experienced at 42 Royal Terrace, within walking distance of Dunedin's Octagon. Entry inside the house is by guided tour only (1 hour, max. 15 People per group). Tours commence daily at: 9.30am, 10.45am, 12 noon, 1.30pm, 2.45pm and 4pm. Group bookings available at a time to suit the group - available on request. Tours are conducted in English. Mandarin, Cantonese, German, French, Japanese and Dutch speaking guides are available for groups on request. The gardens, listed as a New Zealand Gardens Trust 'Garden of National Significance' and the gift shop are open daily and free to the public.
Duration: < 1 hour
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingTours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Top ways to experience Olveston Historic Home and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
323 within 5 kms
Attractions
72 within 10 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
1,053 reviews
Excellent
830
Very good
184
Average
32
Poor
5
Terrible
3
darren2008nz
New Zealand115 contributions
Nov 2019
Wonderful tour with great staff in a stunning period property. Booking was easy online. This house is fascinating especially considering at one point it was the only house in Dunedin with Electricity, and I was amazed at the original central heating system from that long ago.
Written 31 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Darren for your review. Dunedin is very lucky to have had such an amazing home gifted to them, our team take great pride in showing of this beauty to visiting guests.
Written 2 June 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Eli B
Sydney, Australia3,548 contributions
Oct 2019
Wonderful example of a1906 family home of note, providing a window into Dunedin’s past. Book a guided tour. This family were patrons of the Public Art Gallery. The home is peppered with Japanese art and works by Goldie and Hodgkin.
Written 8 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Eli B
We are so please you had time to enjoy the Art work as well as the house, we are so lucky to have such treasures and to be able to share them with National and International visitors.
Jan
Written 12 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jill B B
Sydney, Australia1,117 contributions
Feb 2020
This beautifully maintained home of a Dunedin gentlman and his family is a very worthwhile place to visit in Dunedin. The grounds are meticulously maintained with colourful flower bed and vegetable beds. The gentlemans pride and joy, his car, is on show in the garage. The home and furniture have been left as they were when the family was in residence. An amazing treasure.
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Whithavengirl43, thank you for your review. The staff at Olveston are honoured to be responsible for the up keep and ongoing care of David Theomin's home and collection. Thank you for taking the time to visit.
Written 18 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JOYCE M
Whangarei, New Zealand4 contributions
Nov 2020
I arrived 30 minutes before the tour began and roamed and sat in the gardens, loved the hot house and the plants lots of lovely photos. The hour of the tour went amazingly quickly, the guide was efficient and very interesting as she told us about the occupants of the house and the daily business around there. The rooms, kitchen, scullery, butlers responsibility , dining rooms and other areas were amazingly well kept and beautiful to see
Written 29 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello Joyce, it was so nice you were able to enjoy not only the house but the Gardens as well. A day at Olveston still would seem like too short a time to view all its amazing content.
Written 12 January 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Allena D
Auckland Central, New Zealand284 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
A man on our flight recommended this tour. The owner of this house left it to the City of Dunedin in 1966 and is how the family and servant's lived in it. Very informative guide, definitely worth the entry fee.
Written 17 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Allena D and the man on the plane for recommending your visit to Olveston Historic Home. Dunedin is so fortunate to have this treasure and a team that take great delight in sharing its history. Jan
Written 19 October 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
redjasper
167 contributions
Feb 2020 • Solo
Olveston is a charming place with a fascinating history where everything is pretty much as it was when it was lived in. You have to take a guided tour to see the house, and there are lots of interesting items in each room above and beyond what our guide brought to our attention. I wish I could spend more time in each room just looking, but the tour must go on! The gardens are well maintained and are open a little before the first tour.
Written 20 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you redjasper for your review we are always so proud to show off our local gem and talk about the history of the house, its contents and the Theomin family.
Written 23 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
maureen f
nz180 contributions
Jan 2020
Olveston is a 'not to be missed' place to visit in Dunedin. It's a marvellous house complete with many original fittings, furniture and furnishings. Our guide was sooo good and told us many interesting facts about the history of the house and the many features of each room - very worthwhile
Written 9 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Maureen
We are so please you enjoyed your tour and that the guide was informative, they have a lot of passion for the house and love showing it to visitors.
Jan
Written 12 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JuAucklandNewZealand
Tauranga, New Zealand52 contributions
Jun 2020
We were in Dunedin for the weekend and decided to see some of Dunedin’s highlights. Olveston House was sure worth the visit and our guide Kevin was very knowledgeable and informative.
The house has an amazing collection of art and objects. But what I enjoyed most was a glimpse into the life that they would have had as mostly everything is original and left as it was when it was handed over.
The house has an amazing collection of art and objects. But what I enjoyed most was a glimpse into the life that they would have had as mostly everything is original and left as it was when it was handed over.
Written 12 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your review. We are so very fortunate to have the original contents of the house still from the 240 + artworks on display through to the everyday items like the delftware from when the Theomin Family were living in the house.
Written 28 June 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Valerie
Willenhall, UK69 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We went to this magnificent house, everything left as if the family were still living there. The guide was very knowledgeable about the family and the house it was just adorable. I was walking with elbow crutches and i was able to climb staircase in my own time the guide waited for me to join group.
Please visit .
Please visit .
Written 7 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Valerie for posting a comment I am so pleased you enjoyed your visit and that you were able to see the second floor even with your crutches.
Jan
Written 9 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Amy
Hamilton, New Zealand15 contributions
Apr 2021 • Couples
Loved this tour so much. We visited on the 4th of May and our tour guide was so lovely and very thorough! I left feeling very well informed. Such a beautiful home that has been so well kept. It was great to see a little slice of time! I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for something to do in Dunedin!
Written 4 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for visiting our wonderful Dunedin treasure. The team take great delight in showing the home off to visitors and sharing the Theomin family history.
Written 1 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Can you walk to lovers ton house from the cruise terminal?
Is it in the botanical gardens?
Written 30 November 2015
Hi Spiderspoon,
Thanks for your message.
Olveston is not a walk from the Cruise Terminal, rather located near the centre of Dunedin (the Octagon) on the hill behind the city. We are a 15-20min walk from the centre and about the same from the Botanical Gardens.
We have information on our website for visitors on the Olveston website.
When you arrive at Port Otago (Port Chalmers, the Dunedin port), we suggest guests wanting to visit Olveston either join one of the ship excusions, or take the shuttle into the city and either walk, taxi or take one of the local tourism operator options from the iSite/Octagon again which includes Olveston in the itinerary.
You will find more information about Olveston and what to do in the city on our website with links to various transport options.
Shore excursion information available off the ship will be available from your cruise company website.
Thank you for your enquiry and we look forward to seeing you when you visit Dunedin.
In the meantime, best wishes,
Jeremy Smith | Manager | Olveston Historic Home
Written 30 November 2015
Showing results 1-3 of 3
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing