Plenty to Explore in Duntroon

Welcome to the village

  • Take a relaxed walk through our Duntroon Wetland.
  • Be ‘‘gaoled and bailed’’ at our historic Duntroon Gaol.
  • Be sure to explore the Vanished World Fossil Centre.
  • Enjoy coffee, lunch or dinner at the historic Duntroon Hotel.
  • Why not relax with a picnic on the village green.
  • Check out Nicol’s Blacksmith Shop and meet Wally at the door.
  • Explore the legendary Brewery Hole, and discover our resident moa.
  • For campers, be sure to enjoy our popular Duntroon Camping Ground.

Vanished World Centre

Yes, this whole district was under the sea for millions of years, and is rich in ancient limestone and extinct marine fossils. This community-run Geology and Fossil Centre, offers the visitor a look at our internationally renowned marine fossils.

  • Waipatea, an extinct shark-toothed dolphin, along with ancient penguin and whale fossils.
  • You can dig your own fossil in the ‘‘Discovery Room’’.
  • Open Daily: Winter: 10am to 4.30pm (Summer: 9.30am to 5.30pm). Admission: Adults $10.

A Vanished World Trail Brochure is available at the VW Centre. It will point out a number of interesting sites, including:

  • Elephant Rocks – a naturally created amphitheatre.
  • Anatini Site, where there is a Whale Fossil insitu, which has waited patiently some 25-million years to be discovered.
  • Earthquakes, where another whale fossil awaits inspection.

Nicol’s Blacksmith Shop is an historic village blacksmith shop with Category One classification from Heritage New Zealand.

  • Open daily for inspection.
  • Live blacksmith working each weekend from 10am to 3pm from mid-October until the end of May.
  • Blacksmith courses for beginners are available by appointment.

Maori people roamed this area long before European settlement and left behind many rock drawings on local limestone cave walls. Takiroa, just west of Duntroon, is a site that is open to the public to visit.