We all need a Savior
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:23
None of us can earn our way to God by being good enough. We all need mercy.
🗺️ Farm Day Trips guide
Things to Do Near the Lavender Farms of Dunedin & the Taieri Plain, New Zealand
Lavender Row distills its own oil on the Taieri Plain 25 minutes from Dunedin, where the 1906 railway station hosts a Saturday farmers market.
2 places · updated October 17, 2026
✏️ Report outdated info
Dunedin is a Victorian and Edwardian stone city at the head of Otago Harbour on the southeast coast of New Zealand's South Island. Just west of the hills, the flat farmland of the Taieri Plain spreads out around Mosgiel and Outram, and to the east the Otago Peninsula runs out toward the open Pacific. In one day you can go from a lavender field to sea cliffs, a 19th-century castle and some of the country's oldest museums. This is the Southern Hemisphere, so summer is December to February, and the south coast weather can change quickly in any month.
Lavender Row is on State Highway 87 between Mosgiel and Outram, about 25 minutes southwest of central Dunedin. Cousins started the farm in 2017, mounding the first 18 rows by hand, and it is now run by owner-operator Paula. The farm harvests on a warm, clear summer day and steam-distills its own oil on site; its shop sells lavender oils, body care, craft items and homeware. It also welcomes short visits and day trips, hosts yoga, workshops and weddings among the rows, and has a self-contained bed and breakfast. Hours are not posted, so call or email before you drive out.
The lavender farms
- Lavender RowLavender farm · Mosgiel
No regular public opening hours published; the B&B cottage is open for stays year-round. Contact the farm before visiting.
Best time to visit
Lavender Row harvests in summer (December to February in New Zealand), so that is the season for color in the rows and fresh oil in the shop. Summer is also when the long, steep Tunnel Beach walk and the Otago Peninsula tracks are most pleasant, though you should still plan the beach for low tide. The Otago Farmers Market runs every Saturday morning year-round at the railway station, with up to 65 stalls at the height of the growing season. Through 2026 Tūhura Otago Museum's Tropical Forest has few butterflies while its roof is replaced, and its paid Dinosaurs exhibition runs from September 5, 2026 to January 17, 2027. Winter (June to August) brings clear nights for the Southern Lights and stargazing outside the city, and the free indoor museums make good wet-day stops in any season.
Places to see nearby parks, trails, beaches and landmarks
- Dunedin Railway Station🏛️ Historic site · Dunedin · about 14 mi, 25 min drive
George Troup's Edwardian station, a city landmark since 1906, with a mosaic foyer floor, stained-glass windows of locomotives and tiled ticket arches. The Otago Farmers Market fills the car park every Saturday morning.
Year-round; market Saturday mornings
- Toitū Otago Settlers Museum🏛️ Museum · Dunedin · about 14 mi, 25 min drive
A social history museum founded in 1898, with a recreated settler's house and ship's cabin, trolleybuses, vintage caravans and a large portrait gallery, a short walk from the railway station.
Daily 10 am to 5 pm (closed Christmas Day)
free
- Tūhura Otago Museum🏛️ Museum · Dunedin · about 15 mi, 27 min drive
Seven permanent galleries at 419 Great King Street, from Māori and Pacific collections to the Victorian Animal Attic and an 18-meter fin whale skeleton, plus a paid science center and planetarium.
Daily 10 am to 5 pm
General entry free for NZ residents (international pricing applies); Science Centre from NZ$13, planetarium from NZ$9 (as listed October 2026)
- Olveston Historic Home🏛️ Historic site · Dunedin · about 14 mi, 27 min drive
A 35-room Edwardian house built in the early 1900s and left almost unchanged, still filled with its collector owner's art, ceramics and furniture, a walk from the Octagon.
- First Church of Otago🏛️ Historic site · Dunedin · about 14 mi, 25 min drive
R. A. Lawson's Gothic church on Moray Place, built of Oamaru stone between 1867 and 1875; the spire was taken down and rebuilt after Lawson found it leaning.
- Tunnel Beach🏖️ Beach · Dunedin · about 12 mi, 25 min drive
A sandstone sea arch and a hand-carved tunnel and stairway down to a small beach. The viewpoint is a 10-minute return walk; the full 2.6 km return to the tunnel takes about an hour, with a steep climb back.
Year-round; visit the beach at low tide only
free
- Organ Pipes🌉 Landmark · Dunedin · about 20 mi, 35 min drive
Columns of jointed basalt left by the volcano that built the Otago Peninsula, with hilltop views. Walk up from the Mt Cargill summit car park, or make a day of it from Bethunes Gully.
Year-round
free
- Larnach Castle🏛️ Historic site · Otago Peninsula · about 23 mi, 45 min drive
A Gothic revival house built in 1871 for William Larnach and restored by the Barker family since 1967, with tower views over the harbor and peninsula and gardens recognized as a Garden of International Significance.
- Ōkia Reserve and the Pyramids🌲 Preserve · Otago Peninsula · about 28 mi, 55 min drive
A 4.5 km network of loop tracks through restored scrubland past two volcanic 'pyramids', off Dick Road near the end of the peninsula. Yellow-eyed penguins use the reserve, so keep to the tracks.
Year-round
free
- Orokonui Ecosanctuary🌲 Preserve · Waitati · about 24 mi, 35 min drive
A fenced 307-hectare forest sanctuary north of the city that is home to threatened native species, with a walk down to an 80-meter mountain ash and Horopito Cafe on site.
Thursday to Monday 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, last entry 3:30 pm
Where to stop: farms, food and stays
- Otago Farmers MarketFarm market · Dunedin
Saturday-morning market beside the railway station, 8 am to 12:30 pm, with up to 65 Otago growers and food makers in peak season.
- Best CaféRestaurant · Dunedin
Stuart Street seafood cafe serving fish and chips and Bluff oysters since 1932, a short walk from the railway station.
- No7 BalmacRestaurant · Dunedin
Maori Hill restaurant open since 2009, cooking from its own garden and local produce from breakfast to dinner.
- ADJØCafé or coffee shop · Dunedin
George Street cafe with Nordic porridge, house-made rye bread and Danish-style dishes.
- Augustines of PortobelloCafé or coffee shop · Portobello
Small Otago Peninsula farm cafe that grows much of its own produce; open Friday to Sunday, book on weekends.
- Patti's & CreamIce cream or creamery · Dunedin
Dunedin ice cream maker with a diner on George Street, near Tūhura Otago Museum.
- Steamer Basin Brewery & TaproomBrewery or taproom (21+) · Dunedin
Small microbrewery and taproom pouring its own beers near the harbor basin.
A one-day plan
- 10:00 AMLavender Row
Arrange the visit by phone or email first, then walk the rows and browse the shop's farm-distilled oils; about 45 minutes.
- 11:10 AMTunnel Beach · about 25 min drive
Walk down to the carved tunnel and back, about an hour; stop at the viewpoint instead if the tide is high.
- 12:35 PMBest Café · about 15 min drive
Lunch on Stuart Street: fish and chips or a fish finger sandwich; about 50 minutes.
- 1:35 PMDunedin Railway Station
Walk down to see the mosaic floor and stained glass; 20 minutes.
- 2:00 PMToitū Otago Settlers Museum
Next door; an hour in the settler house, trolleybuses and portrait gallery.
- 3:15 PMTūhura Otago Museum · about 5 min drive
An hour and a quarter in the galleries, including the Animal Attic and the whale skeleton.
- 4:40 PMPatti's & Cream · about 5 min drive
Finish with ice cream on George Street, a few blocks from the museum.
Tips
- Lavender Row does not post opening hours; call or email ahead before you visit.
- Tunnel Beach is unsafe at high tide and in rough seas, with no lifeguards; check the tide and wear sturdy shoes for the steep climb back.
- The Tunnel Beach car park at the end of Tunnel Beach Road can fill up or be locked; the nearest bus stop is on Middleton Road in Corstorphine, about a 25-minute walk away.
- On a Saturday, start at the Otago Farmers Market (8 am to 12:30 pm) and visit the lavender farm in the afternoon.
- Orokonui Ecosanctuary is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and last entry is 3:30 pm.
- Peninsula roads are narrow and winding, so allow extra time for Larnach Castle and Ōkia Reserve.
Checked in October 2026 against official park, tourism and business websites. How we check listings
Questions
Can you visit Lavender Row lavender farm?
Yes. The farm welcomes day trips, short visits and shop browsing, but it does not publish hours, so contact it by phone or email first.
When does lavender bloom near Dunedin?
Lavender Row harvests its lavender in summer, which in New Zealand is December to February. It does not publish exact bloom dates.
Are Dunedin's museums free?
Toitū Otago Settlers Museum is free and open daily 10 am to 5 pm. Tūhura Otago Museum is free for New Zealand residents; its science center and planetarium charge.
When is the Otago Farmers Market?
Every Saturday morning, year-round, beside the Dunedin Railway Station.
How long is the Tunnel Beach walk?
About 2.6 km return, roughly an hour, with a steep climb on the way back. The viewpoint alone is a 10-minute return walk.
🪪 Collect a stamp at every stop
The free Lavender Passport keeps a stamp for each farm and stop you visit, in real life and in the Lavender Farm Simulator. At the farm, play Field Quest to collect plant varieties as you walk, climb the leaderboards and unlock sponsor rewards.
Open the Passport🏡 Own a farm, café or inn here?
Add your listing for free so travelers find you, or become a Featured sponsor to sit at the top of this guide, on the Passport map and in the event calendars.
Add your listing Get featured
