Showing off Dunedin’s notorious Castle St to domestic and international visitors was never meant to offend anyone, a local tourism operator says.
During summer, Fantail Tours was one of several Dunedin tour operators that take visitors down Castle St, but since operator Asta Armalyte-Ghidella shared her story on 1News she had received abuse from people saying it was a breach of student privacy.
Ms Armalyte-Ghidella said she had "no intention to offend anyone" and the street was an iconic attraction many visitors were curious to learn about.
"You drive sometimes by Trump Tower and the Hilton, and that sparks lots of talk — the university is also a very big part of our city, and when you tell visitors that, they want to see the student life."
Since the 1News story she had received emails saying "shame on you" and "how dare you", but wanted to point out that it was not the highlight of their tour, just a part of it.
Their tours also included Baldwin St, another famous residential street.
Dunedin student life was unique in New Zealand, with the named flats and large student area, and it piqued the interest of domestic travellers particularly wanting to see the Six60 flat, and reminisce about their own university experiences.
"There’s so much laughter when we drive past, and people talk about their student years and they also talk about their kids studying now.
"I don’t see anything wrong, but if people don’t like it, I will not be going there any more."
She said the entire city benefitted from students in Dunedin, and it was natural people would be curious about the University of Otago and student life in the city.
"Some people even say the university is the DNA of Dunedin ... there would be no Dunedin without the university."
Ms Armalyte-Ghidella said she "really did offer her sincerest apologies" to anyone offended.
