Cycle the Otago Harbour – Destination Dunedin
Cycle The Loop around the Otago Harbour and visit some of the best things to do in Dunedin along the way.
For a range of exciting outdoor activities, Cycling The Loop, Otago Harbour is one of the best things to do in Dunedin. Also called Te Aka Ōtākou (The Otago Vine), this 32-kilometre route includes a 10-minute ferry ride to complete the ‘loop’. The main cycleway is mostly flat, paved, and off-road, with only a small on-road section in Port Chalmers and some sections in Dunedin when joining from bike hire locations.
You can hire a bike from a local business such as the Bike House (bikehouse.co.nz) or bring your own wheels and explore the local waterfront attractions, including gorgeous gift shops and some of the best cafés and restaurants in Dunedin (all that pedalling means cake stops are guilt-free).
Allow a minimum of two hours to ‘cycle the loop’ from Portobello to Port Chalmers, including the 10-minute ferry crossing on the famous Port To Port Cycle ferry, with skipper Rachel McGregor, to cross the harbour. You’ll get an in depth commentary on the way across as Rachel tells you about the shipwrecks, seabirds, volcanic and early European history of the area. Also specialising in small group wildlife tours, stay longer and join the longer cruise to look for wildlife at the harbour entrance, such as albatross, seals, sea lions, sea birds, penguins and much more.
For a fun way to get around and track your ride, and other nearby cycle trails, see and install the Great Rides App. Take into account the weather when you’re planning your trip and make sure to book the ferry in advance so you don’t miss out on ferry seats. Book at porttoport.co.nz.
Once you’re on your bike, a stop option at Portobello is the Otago Peninsula Museum. Free to enter, it has exhibits including the Cape Saunders Lighthouse, a radar room, and jail, (portobello.org.nz). For maritime artifacts, discover the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum at the other end of the loop, it’s the building that Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his crew left Port Chalmers for Antarctica in November 1910.
For a map of all the top locations to visit along the way, go to dunedincycleway.co.nz.
Other things to do in while you’re in the area include paying a visit to the Royal Albatross Centre, which has the only mainland breeding colony in the world (albatross.org.nz). Or exploring the natural beauty of the Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (OPERA), a private eco-reserve dedicated to conservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and education, (theopera.co.nz).
