Olveston Historic Home — Attraction in South Island

Hi I'm Danielle I'm transgender and had a sad heartbreaking experience i went on the tour and the guide made me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome using the words gay and disgusting to describe me and calling me and mum uneducated because we asked some questions about the painting. We are human beings like any other person and it didn't help being laughed at by the entire group and humiliated by the guide and English man. I will never ever go back. I payed 50 dollars to be humiliated by a guide and an entire group. No one stuck up for me at all. Afterwards I cried in the garden outside. It ruined my day and the last day of my trip to Dunedin. This is wrong and discrimination and bullying. I am a kind nice caring person and I am a human being. I almost felt like pulling out of the tour. I knew I wasn't welcome when I payed for my ticket and should have not done the tour. I was trying to be brave and I was but the humiliation was not worth it for being brave enough. I can't believe the whole group and even the guide humiliated me like that. I live in a rural town where I am abused by the entire community and I got assaulted outside my house the next day. I don't deserve to live under hate every day I'm a human being we deserve to co exist in public spaces and to be treated like anyone else. I was disgusted heartbroken and humiliated and will never ever go there again. I should make a complaint on this guide. I can accept the visitors that's fine but the guide doing it is wrong and unacceptable. I most probably will lodge a discrimination complaint this is not on....

My wife and I came to New Zealand for our honeymoon on a cruise. Decided to do the Olveston house tour, thought it would be nice to see. It was an amazing part of history to see and an amazing place to see and hear the history of the house, and how beautifully it is preserved. Unfortunately I take 2 stars away due to the lady that took us through the house, both my wife and I found her very rude to us and I believe we were not the only ones on the tour that found her a little unpleasant. Was told not to take photos as we are making her very nervous, did not realise we were not allowed to take photos. She made us feel uncomfortable and could of been a bit more polite about it and said sorry no photos allowed instead of ubruptedly making us feel unwelcome. Also making a comment, it is my job to make sure people do not lean so I am not sorry, great way to make the customer feel uncomfortable especially saying it to an elderly lady that has trouble standing, very unwelcoming, felt very anti tourist. It is unfortunate as we wanted to leave after this, and we were going to buy a souvenir from there but after this did not feel or wan to, we found the same souvenir cheaper somewhere else anyway so worked out well. Such a shame because the house was beautiful and would have really enjoyed...

So it's hard not to give this place 5 stars but I have my reasons. This house is awesome, the staff amazing, if you're in Dunedin and you like historic houses then this place is great. It's really a sublime example to visit and the tours given very good. It's just that they don't have a cafe or even a cold fridge for drinks. We weren't the only ones who had walked to visit it but on a hot day and if you don't realise it's at the top of an incredibly steep hill you're gonna get thirsty and there was nothing on offer. Take your own drink as there's nothing in the near vacinity. Also you can't take pictures, I suspect this is to stop dawdling, but flashless photography would have been nice for us far away visitors and if only the guide book had enough content in so you didn't have to take pictures then fine but it is a little thin of photography and thin generally. I really wanted to buy a copy so I could show family the house but by not being able to take photos and the guidebook a little thin I couldn't really shoe how special it was. Niggly points and they're not the only historic house to operate like this. But do go!! But bear in...