Tales From Darkest Dunedin

15/06/2026

Isn't the back of this master piece absolutely stunning! Come on our Murder and Woe tour to fundraise for Cap'n Spoonbill & The Hoiho's Canada trip and I'll tell you some stories about the hill it's built on. 20th June - Email [email protected] to enquire/book.

What do you know about Bell Hill?

15/06/2026

Darkest Dunedin, now with a Meta verified blue tick.
We're still the same, old Darkest Dunedin though. Just with added account security and peace of mind for our overseas travelers.

✔️

10/06/2026

So many new followers! Welcome, welcome!

We're Tales From Darkest Dunedin. We welcome tourists to this city and tell them how we got here and what's happened since.

Why are we called Darkest Dunedin?

We know about the murders, the subterfuge, the pride and prejudice that happened in this little city.

Very conservative Scottish moving into a British colony that was already occupied by Māori sounds difficult but add a gold rush on top and you've got Tales From Darkest Dunedin.

It wasn't all dark though - some glorious stories of human nature shine through. Dr Stuart's statue remains as a reminder of benevolence, the Celtic cross reminds us of pre Scot history when Johnny Jones and Tūawaiki were a formidable duo and The Crown Hotel's mural represents an intersection of Chinese and Māori enterprise with our beloved Jones Chin inside who is always ready with a yarn and a story.

You don't have to be a tourist to book a tour, we love doing them for locals and offer tours much cheaper.

Have a look at what we offer and get in touch. The Murder & Woe van tours are great for birthdays or just a generally fun hang out, bring some drinks and trauma bond.

Have you ever passed through a cemetery and wanted to glimpse into the stories behind the headstones? Local historian and experienced tour guide, Gregor Campbell has done just that and now his impressive catalogue of tales are available through guided tours

07/06/2026

More reviews for the Murder & Woe tours!

The tourists dig it and we're offering them cheaper as a fundraiser for Cap'n Spoonbill & The Hoiho - Let's get them to Canada to represent Ōtepoti Dunedin in the Sea Shanty community 😍

20th June
5.30pm
Walking tour and van tours available
All proceeds go to Cap'n Spoonbill!

Email [email protected] to book

05/06/2026

We're offering our Murder & Woe tours as a fundraiser to get the shanty singing group Cap'n Spoonbill & The Hoiho to Canada to represent Ōtepoti Dunedin!

20th June
5.30pm
Walking and van tours available
Van is a max of 9 people so don't dally!

What is a Murder & Woe tour?
The walking tour starts at Toitū and ends in George St - we talk about the colonial beginnings of Dunedin then proceed with some genuinely despicable stories of murder, even by today's standards. It's not all murder though, accidents, su***de, cover ups and desperation all feature in this little city of ours.

The van tour is a leisurely drive through the Northern cemetery to talk about the Larnachs, the hanged prisoners and two particularly evil men that lost their heads. You'll drive around the inner city and the devil's half acre and wonder how these sedate little neighborhoods were once so depraved.

Enjoy yourself but be prepared for the rollercoaster of emotions, the stories aren't nice but they're true.

Special Hoiho pricing:
Walking tour $25pp
Van tour $40pp

All proceeds go to Cap'n Spoonbill for their song writing and festival tours through Canada.

Email [email protected] to book

04/06/2026

FUNDRAISING ALERT!! 🏴‍☠️🦜☠️

Who loves a sea shanty? 🙋‍♀️

Who loves hearing the tales of murder and woe this city has been hiding? 🙋‍♀️

The sea shanty singing group "Cap'n Spoonbill and the Hoiho" do...

They're heading to Canada to tour festivals, representing Ōtepoti Dunedin - the home of the Wellermen - so we need to send our best!

They're currently working on new material to take over, sharing the stories that are relevant to Aotearoa and our communities and that is so exciting so we're really proud to help them with fundraising.

Saturday 20th June
5.30pm
We're offering two tours.
A van tour and a walking tour of the city telling true crime stories of murder and woe from the gold rush era.

Van - $40pp max 9 people
Walking -$25pp

To book, email [email protected]

Pay your donation into:
https://www.thearts.co.nz/boosted/projects/aotearoa-sea-shanty-project

Let us tell our stories so they can tell theirs ❤️❤️

Boosted is Aotearoa New Zealand’s only arts crowdfunding platform. We’re here to bring creatives and supporters together to grow creativity. With our mentored approach to crowdfunding, we have one of the world's highest crowdfunding success rates and have helped creatives raise millions since 20...

20/05/2026

Darkest Dunedin is now advertised on the world stage! Thanks so much to Dunedin's tourism sector, they work incredibly hard thinking of funny one liners (my dream job).

This one was seen in Singapore by a friend of a friend and sent back home!

15/05/2026

Take a "Murder and Woe" tour in the van or as a walking tour - this city has seen some stuff omgosh.

Van - $50pp
Walking - $25pp

Get a group of friends together and trauma bond!

Students and teens love this tour as well as learning a bit about the history of the city - why it's here and how did it come to be as it is.

Email [email protected] to book or enquire

27/02/2026

Two important things!

Tomorrow, Saturday 2pm at the Anderson's Bay cemetery is the Shiner tour, among other stories - free to attend. Meet in the carpark.

The Marlon Williams concert in Chch, our minibus is going up and back on the 31st May and back 1st June (King's birthday). $72 for the return trip.

Get in contact [email protected] to book a seat.

I don't have any relevant pictures on hand so excuse me while I default to a dog.