Panorama taken from the public viewing area at the rear of the Royal Albatross Centre on Taiaroa Head. This area is open to the public who flock here to watch the Royal Albatross gliding effortlessly around Taiaroa Head.

Royal Albatross Centre - Otago Peninsula visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Royal Albatross Centre' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Otago.

The Royal Albatross colony on Taiaroa Head, at the far end of the Otago Peninsula is the only royal albatross colony on a mainland anywhere in the world. It has become one of the main tourist attractions for people visiting Dunedin and this part of New Zealand. The albatross colony is, naturally, heavily protected to permit the birds a safe breeding ground. Visitors can pay to be given guided tours of the colony by one of the keepers.

Nothing quite prepares the visitor for the site of these magnificent birds, which, with wingspans up to 3m, glide over the centre and Taiaroa Head. The birds lay a single egg which takes about 80 days to incubate. The young albatross fledge after about 240 days. The birds then take to the sea, and the young may not see land again for several years feeding off squid and fish as they roam the oceans.

Some split the royal albatross species into two sub-species of the Northern Royal Albatross and the Southern Royal Albatross. This distinction is still under dispute and the two birds are differentiated by markings on their wings. The Northern Royal Albatross has black wings, while the Southern ones have a white marking on their wings. The albatross breeding at Taiaroa Head have black wings.

A lot of other wildlife can be seen at Taiaroa Head aside from the albatross, and sightings of yellow-eyed penguins and seals are common. Less common are sightings of sea lions and the occasional elephant sea.

The Royal Albatross Centre is at the far eastern end of the Otago Peninsula, at the end Harrington Point Road and just past Harrington Point, about 30km from Dunedin.