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New Zealand
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Otago
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Dunedin
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Tours & Activities
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Olveston Historic Home Guided Tour
1 h
With guide
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Make your own way to the Olveston Historic Home, located just a few minutes drive from the center of Dunedin. Meet your guide at the reception area to begin your 1-hour tour of the historic house.
Designed by an acclaimed English architect, Sir Ernest George, the elegant 35-room mansion was completed in 1906. Its original decor has been maintained and restored, providing visitors with a glimpse into the life of a wealthy family in the early 20th century.
As you walk through the rooms of the home, your guide explains the details of the furniture, art and decorative pieces that are displayed throughout the house. David Theomin, the original owner, traveled extensively and collected art, ceramics and furniture from around the world. Among the works he collected are significant Japanese works, paintings by 15th-century Italian painter Fra Filippo Lippi, and pieces by New Zealand artists Alfred Henry O’Keeffe, WM Hodgkins and Frances Hodgkins.
You’ll also hear about the family’s contributions to civic life in Dunedin and the later years of the last member of the family, who left the house to the city of Dunedin in her will.
After seeing the interior of the home during the 1-hour tour, feel free to explore on your own in the lovely gardens that surround the house. Before you go, be sure to check out the restored Fiat 510 Tourer car that Mr. Theomin purchased in 1922.
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Designed by an acclaimed English architect, Sir Ernest George, the elegant 35-room mansion was completed in 1906. Its original decor has been maintained and restored, providing visitors with a glimpse into the life of a wealthy family in the early 20th century.
As you walk through the rooms of the home, your guide explains the details of the furniture, art and decorative pieces that are displayed throughout the house. David Theomin, the original owner, traveled extensively and collected art, ceramics and furniture from around the world. Among the works he collected are significant Japanese works, paintings by 15th-century Italian painter Fra Filippo Lippi, and pieces by New Zealand artists Alfred Henry O’Keeffe, WM Hodgkins and Frances Hodgkins.
You’ll also hear about the family’s contributions to civic life in Dunedin and the later years of the last member of the family, who left the house to the city of Dunedin in her will.
After seeing the interior of the home during the 1-hour tour, feel free to explore on your own in the lovely gardens that surround the house. Before you go, be sure to check out the restored Fiat 510 Tourer car that Mr. Theomin purchased in 1922.
Included
- Local guide
- Entry/Admission - Olveston Historic Home
Not included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- To prevent damaging the wooden floors and original floorcoverings, visitors are asked to refrain from wearing stiletto heel shoes
- Small-group tour with a maximum of 15 participants per tour
Features
Tourism
85%
Cultural
80%
Original
25%
Reviews
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What a beautiful house. Our guide was great, clearly loves this house and it's history. Well worth a visit if in Dunedin.
A truly Unique historic home, due to its having most of the original contents still in place. An added surprise was seeing the restored 1920's Fiat owned by the family. Tour guide was terrific. Unfortunately you will not be permitted to take any photos inside.