Introduction
Welcome to the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark!This tour takes you to some of the interesting and fascinating places between Ōamaru and Duntroon. We are not taking the usual route via State Highway 83, but will explore the rural roads of North Otago and explore some of the geological and social stories along the way.For camping information, check the Freedom camping in Waitaki page.What is Tiaki – Care for New Zealand?Tiaki means to care for people and place. New Zealand is precious, and everyone who lives and travels here has a responsibility to look after it.The Tiaki Promise is a commitment to care for New Zealand, for now and for future generations. By following the Tiaki Promise, you are making a commitment to New Zealand: Care for land, sea and nature, treading lightly and leaving no trace Travel safely, showing care and consideration for all Respect culture, travelling with an open heart and mindFor more information about the Tiaki Promise, visit the Tiaki official website.
Ōamaru Lookout Point
Suggested visit time: 5 - 10 minsHead uphill on Tyne Street and turn left into Tamar Street. The Lookout Point is at the end of Tamar Street. Parking available.This curved coastline fronting Ōamaru is caused by sea erosion - one of the local schools has already lost a few rugby fields to sea erosion. At the southern end of Ōamaru lies the prominent headland Cape Wanbrow - on which you are standing on right now. Around 38 million years ago this area was under the sea. Volcanism began under the sea, interspersed with quieter periods when limestone formed from the accumulation of dead marine organisms.Cape Wanbrow was originally known under the name Makotukutuku. Makotukutuku was an ancestor on the Ārai-te-uru waka that capsized off the coastline near Matakaea (Shag Point). After capsizing, many of the passengers went ashore to explore the land, however they needed to be back at the waka before daylight. Most did not make it, including Makotukutuku, and instead transformed into many of the well-known geographical features of Te Waipounamu (South Island). To learn more about Māori place names, check out the Kā Huru Manu Atlas.North of the lookout is where the Waitaki River enters the sea. This area was popular with local Māori, and evidence of this time is preserved in the Waitaki Museum, which is home to a significant collection of taoka (treasures), dating back to the earliest days of Māori settlement. The Waitaha Taoka | Stewart Willetts Family Collection includes thousands of stone tools, as well as adornment and items for fishing and hunting: all of them found at the mouth of the Waitaki River.From the lookout, looking towards the northeast you may spot the yellow colouring on top of the hills near Weston. Ōamaru Stone is quarried here at Parkside Quarries. Guided Tours are available by arrangement with Parkside Quarries.To the West is one of the highest local peaks – Mt Domett at 1942m.To the Southwest you can see the Kakanui Range. This landform diverts some rain fronts out to sea, and thereby gives this region it's very dry climate. This climate meant grain growing was prolific inland from Ōamaru during early farming in the area. Sheep farming then became popular, especially when the frozen meat trade began. The first frozen meat shipment came from Totara Estate, just south of here.
Ōamaru Limestone Dikes
Suggested visit time: 5 minsYou can park in the Ōamaru Public Gardens carpark on Chelmer Street. The road cutting is just across the road.On this Ōamaru roadside you can see one of New Zealand's best examples of limestone dikes. This well weathered outcrop consists of tuff (formed from volcanic ash) - associated with volcanism that was active from around 38 million years in the Ōamaru area. This outcrop shows some weakly bedding planes in places, but in the main is massive. Of significance are two jointed limestone dikes of the Ototara Limestone (Ōamaru Stone) that run near vertically through the tuff. Typically, dikes are igneous in origin and intrude existing rock. The dikes exposed here at Chelmer Street are in fact the reverse of this - where a sedimentary unit is seen to intrude igneous material.Please be aware the following hazards include: Falling debris (rock and plants) from overhead and traffic.
Phoenix Flour Mill
Suggested visit time: 5 - 10 minsPass the Ōamaru Public Gardens on Chelmer St and turn right into Old Mill Rd. Follow the road for 600m and the Flour Mill will be to your left. There is a parking bay. Picnic table and interpretation at the site.The Phoenix Flour Mill stands as a reminder of the importance of flour milling in the nineteenth century in Ōamaru. The growing of wheat was one of North Otago’s earliest agricultural activities and the reason for Ōamaru’s rapid growth in the 1860s and 1870s.The first industry on this site was John Hunt’s flax mill, which was destroyed by a flood in 1870. In 1871, Hunt replaced the flax mill with the Phoenix Flour Mill, which was driven by a water wheel 9.1 metres in diameter. It is believed it was the largest wheel in the province at the time. The mill had a single pair of mill stones. The grain was taken into the ground floor, taken by a smutter (a machine for cleaning impurities from the grain) to the basement, cleaned, and then raised by elevators to the upper storey. In the upper storey it was conveyed to the silks, where the bran, sharps and flour were separated, before being bagged on the ground floor. In 1878 this waterwheel was replaced with a larger one (10.6 metres diameter) which we see today.The Phoenix Flour Mill operated until about 1904. In 1906 the mill, and much of its machinery was dismantled and moved to Clark’s Mill at Maheno.Fun Facts: Did you know that John Hunt named it ‘Phoenix’ because it rose from the ashes of the earlier Flax Mill? The opening festivities of the Phoenix Flour Mill were reported “... as jolly a party as ever met for a like purpose, admiring the picturesque spot where the mill had been erected and the great giant of a water-wheel.” The mill’s flour was marketed under the brand name “White Spray” and was considered to be the best in Australasia.Please be aware the following hazards include: waterways and uneven ground
Enfield Dikes
Suggested visit time: 5 minsTo get to Enfield Dikes, follow the Weston-Ngapara Rd from Weston towards Enfield for 6km. Just before the township of Enfield, park your car in the parking bay on the left and follow the signage.The dikes seen here are basaltic in nature and are one of the best inland exposures of igneous dikes in the Ōamaru region. They belong to the wider Waiareka Volcanic group.These are located behind the village of Enfield in a disused quarry which has more recently been used as a landfill site. This site is fenced off to the public. You can however view the Geosite from behind the gates.The quarry exposes several near-vertical dikes. Dikes are formed when volcanic activity pushes magma up through a crack or a weakness in the crust. This magma cuts across older material and cools in place as an igneous intrusion (i.e. it cools and ‘sets’ below the surface).For a drink or a meal, check out The Fort Enfield - Enjoy the warm hospitality and relaxed atmosphere of this cool little country pub.Please be aware the following hazards include: no vehicle parking, closed landfill.
Elderslie Estate
Suggested visit time: 5 minsAfter passing through Enfield, follow Weston-Ngapara Rd for 4.8km. Elderslie Estate will be to your left. It is now on private property, so you can only see the area from a distance. There is space on the site of the road to stop for a few minutes.Elderslie Estate, like its neighbour Windsor Park, was one of the ‘great properties’ of the Waitaki region. Scottish-born John Reid purchased the estate in 1865, however remained in Dunedin while the grounds at Elderslie were prepared. John and his wife Agnes took up permanent resident at Elderslie in 1874.In 1879 Reid acquired the neighbouring estate which doubled Reid’s land with a total of 33,000 acres. This expansion made Reid the largest freeholder in North Otago, running 33,000 sheep on his two estates. He worked hard on stock development and improving his pastures. Elderslie flocks won innumerable prizes, as did the estate’s horses which Reid bred for both work and racing.Reid was one of the first to foresee the positive impact the frozen meat trade could have for the people of Ōamaru and was vitally involved in the development of refrigerated shipping. He built a steamer Elderslie to trade directly between Britain and Ōamaru, arriving in Ōamaru on 25 August 1884. Its inaugural voyage in 1884 carried 23,000 frozen carcasses and was a great success. Lack of support from fellow landowners disappointed Reid and it became impractical to confine the ship’s trade to Ōamaru.John Reid passed away on 15 August 1912. Most of Elderslie estate was sold off or subdivided by the mid 1910s. The Reid family sold what was left of the property in the 1920s. In the years that followed the remaining land was once again subdivided and the homestead was first turned into a guesthouse, then a cabaret. Sadly, the cabaret burnt down a week before it was due to open. The stables have survived and remain on their original site.Fun facts: John Reid named his estate ‘Elderslie’ after the birthplace of Sir William Wallace (the great hero of the 13th-century Scottish wars of independence), demonstrating his Scottish patriotism. Reid stood, unsuccessfully, for election to Parliament for Waitaki three times and also failed to get elected to the first Waitaki County Council.Please be aware the following hazards include: limited vehicle parking, traffic.
Corriedale Sheep
Suggested visit time: 5 minsThere is a cairn on the West side of the road, about 2km from the Windsor turnoff.This stone memorial, erected in 1940, commemorates the origin of the Corriedale breed of sheep, New Zealand’s first breed.The Corriedale’s origins lie in early experiments in crossing Merinos with long-wool breeds. James Little, who managed Corriedale Station in North Otago, began trying to establish a fixed inbred halfbred (a halfbred which breeds true to type) in 1868 when he mated over 600 Merino ewes with Romney rams. Later he continued his experiments crossing long-wool Lincoln and Leicester rams with Merinos. The Corriedale’s wool is long and medium-to-fine with a well-defined crimp, and found a ready market in the worsted trade. It was bred for the plains and gentle hills of the drier eastern districts of both the North and South islands.There was much debate about whether a sheep like the Corriedale could be bred. It was known that sheep could be cross-bred to produce animals for fattening – but some argued that when breeding for wool, there was too much variation after the first cross. Experts from England, Europe and New Zealand doubted that anyone could develop an inbred halfbred that remained true to type. James Little, a practical man, just went ahead and did it.Please be aware the following hazards include: limited vehicle parking, traffic.
The Gallipoli Pine
Suggested visit time: 5 minsDrive a bit further towards Ngapara. There is a cairn on the right side of the road, at a corner. The Pine is directly opposite, to the West, on top of a conical hill.This pine doesn’t only serve as a landmark for locals, but also serves as a monument to World War 1 and to a soldier who safely returned home. It was grown from one of three seeds brought home from Gallipoli in the pocket of Joe Mansfield's army tunic.The seeds were planted by Trooper Mansfield on his return to the family farm. Two germinated but one later died and the third was eventually planted, once big enough, on top of what became known as One Tree Hill.It is told that Mansfield’s sisters rolled a corrugated iron water tank up the steep hill to provide some protection for the young tree. They also used to carry water up the hill to water the young pine. For close to 100 years, the Gallipoli Pine has thrived, overlooking the farm which has only had two owners since it was planted.A poem by Jim Morris – The Windsor PineBattle torn tunic bore three seeds back,Collected in a lull in the Turkish attack;Picked from a lone pine, ‘mid ridges scarred,With shell holes and craters while a mate stood guard;Picked while the sounds of the battle raged by,In the stench and fury of a war torn sky;Picked ‘mid the screams of his dying friends,Fighting for freedom from the worlds far ends.… To peaceful hillsides where children playAnd lambs skip and frolic at the end of day;Where the Kakanui shadows spread a gentle fold‘cross the rolling downs and valleys that are bathed in gold;Where the farmer in the evening wends his weary way,Past the hoggets on the run off, picking at the hay;Casts his gaze to a lone pine, on the hillock crest,As he heads to his loved ones and a night of rest.Nature decreed that just one would grow;Enough to remind us of the debt we owe!Please be aware the following hazards include: limited vehicle parking, traffic.
Ngapara coal seam
Suggested visit time: 5 minsFollow the Weston-Ngapara Rd for another 5km towards Ngapara and the coal seam will appear to your right, just before you arrive in Ngapara. Turn left into Paradise Gully Rd to have a safe place to stop for a few minutes.The quartz sands and coal that outcrops at Ngapara belong to the geological unit called the Taratu Formation. The Taratu Formation records a time when Zealandia was above sea level - after Zealandia had separated from Gondwana (around 80 million years ago) and before the marine transgression that occupies much of the geological history of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark.The quartz sands we see at Ngapara were derived from basement rock (i.e. eroded from schist) and deposited in river systems. In contrast, swampy accumulate carbon rich material such as plant matter. As this material decays and is buried by younger sediments deposited above, it turns into coal - which is what we see at this outcrop.Interestingly, there is a clear and near horizontal break between the quartz sands and the coal. This is interpreted as a change from river to swamp environment and back to river. It also indicates that the area has not undergone significant deformation since these sediments were deposited millions of years ago.The coal mine was opened in July 1878, by James Nimmo and was owned and operated by members of the Nimmo family for 93 years when production ceased in 1971. The Ngapara coal mine was the oldest continuously worked coal mine in New Zealand. It was also one of the last mines in this country to use a pit pony.Please be aware the following hazards include: no off-road parking, traffic.
Ngapara Flour Mill
Suggested visit time: 5 minsFrom Weston, take the Weston-Ngapara Rd and follow it for 21km.A well-known North Otago miller, Alexander Nicol, purchased the plant of a water powered flour mill from Duntroon in the 1800s, and shifted it to Ngapara in order to be near the coal mine. This original plant was then driven by a coal fire engine and had an output of just over one sack of flour per hour. The mill was sold to Milligan and Bond in 1892 and in 1897 they built the three-story, Ōamaru stone building. By 2016 milling had stopped as it was not economic anymore, but the flour mill was being kept intact should it ever be needed again.Ngapara, a very important farming area in the 1870’s, was reputed to be one of the best wheat growing areas in New Zealand. The 1879 summer provided a bumper harvest, with 1000 bags of grain a day being unloaded from the train. By 1877 the nucleus of a country town was beginning and the township grew to include two hotels, three stores, a post office, a school and a hall, with many businesses and hotels operating. The vote for prohibition early last century caused the hotel to be converted to a maternity hospital. When the hospital closed, the building became a grocery store. It fell into disrepair in the last 20 years and is now privately owned.Please be aware the following hazards include: traffic.
Valley of the Whales
Suggested visit time: 5 minsFrom Ngapara, head left onto Tokarahi-Ngapara Rd and follow this road for 6.5km. Then turn right onto Island-Cliff-Duntroon Rd. The limestone cliffs will appear here to your left and your right. Follow Island-Cliff-Duntroon Rd for about 3.5km and you will reach a parking bay with interpretation sign to your left.In this valley, named after the discovery of whale and dolphin fossils found here in the Otekaike Limestone, you can almost imagine you are at the very bottom of the seafloor with the limestone cliffs rising steeply on each side. Park your vehicle near the Vanished World signage in this valley and be transported to a time when this area was under a wide shallow sea and teeming with marine life such as ancient baleen whales and dolphins with shark-like teeth. Check out the Vanished World Centre in Duntroon to learn more about these species.The Awamoko Stream that flows the length of this valley has eroded down through the limestone beds to expose the massive geological sediments. Moa bones have also been found in some of the swamp settings here – more recent relics of a time gone by.Please be aware the following hazards include: Flood prone
Anatini
Suggested visit time: 15 - 20 minsThere's a parking bay on Island Cliff-Duntroon Road and a signposted gate that gives you access to a moderate 5-minute walk across farmland. The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail passes through this gully.The land you are standing on was once under the sea. Many animals and plants lived and died on this prehistoric seafloor. Over a few million years, shell fragments from these creatures compacted to become limestone, while bones from vertebrates (such as whales, dolphins and penguins) became preserved within the sediment. The limestone here is from the late Oligocene Epoch, formed 23 - 25 million years ago. Our landmass - Zealandia - was then mostly a submerged continent with only a series of small islands remaining above sea level. New Zealand is now emergent. In the last 20+ million years the limestone has been uplifted and eroded - exposing the baleen whale and other fossils.You are looking at the remains of an ancient baleen whale. Some baleen whales are over 15 metres long. This one was probably five to six metres long. Baleen whales are filter feeders, they sieve a lot of sea water each day to collect small animals to eat (these prey animals are only a few centimetres long). The fossil whale is distantly related to modern baleen whales and died millions of years ago.With views over picturesque farmland this was the scene for Aslan's Camp in the film - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s a beautiful photo opportunity.Anatini is on private land. Please respect this special place and take care not to cause damage. Please go quietly if animals are present and remember to shut the gates. You can help care for this site. Please pick up any rubbish. Tread lightly and leave no trace.Please be aware the following hazards include: narrow pathway, steep drop-off by fossil site, slippery surface when wet, uneven surface and steps, pipe at the bottom of the gate leading to fossil, falling debris / rocks/ blocks from above, and farming activities.
Elephant Rocks
Suggested visit time: 15 - 30 minsThere's a parking bay on Island Cliff-Duntroon Road and a signposted gate that gives you access to an easy 5-minute walk across farmland.Elephant Rocks are geological marvels exposed by erosion, set amongst picturesque farmland. Don’t forget your camera as you wander through these towering limestone rocks. A geological wonder of the Waitaki, this unique landscape has featured in films such as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.Elephant Rocks features distinctive large hummocky or elephant-shaped limestone outcrops. The “elephants” are formed from Otekaike Limestone, which originated as a fossil-rich marine sand around 25 million years ago. The thick and flat-lying limestone has many joints, or cracks, caused by the land being lifted. These joints, which cross each other, are eroded by water. Eventually, enough limestone is eroded away to leave the “elephants” exposed and isolated from each other.Elephant Rocks is on private land. Please respect this special place and take care not to cause damage. Please go quietly if animals are present and remember to shut the gates. You can help care for this site. Please pick up any rubbish. Tread lightly and leave no trace.Please be aware the following hazards include: traffic, slippery surface when wet, uneven surface, fall hazards, and farming activities.
Maerewhenua rock art site
Suggested visit time: 10 - 15 minsApproximately 500m south of State Highway 83 along Livingstone-Duntroon Road the large limestone outcrop that forms this historic area is on the eastern side of the road.Sheltered by an impressive limestone overhang with amazing views over the valley, this site contains charcoal and ochre paintings dating to before the arrival of Europeans. Moa bones have been found here, indicating hundreds of years of occupation. Maerewhenua is a significant landmark in the tradition of Ngāi Tahu Whānui. This rock shelter lies within an ancient food gathering region that follows a pathway that links the mountains and the sea, along the Waitaki River.This historic place is located on private land, but a path to the rock art site has been made accessible to the public.Please be aware the following hazards include: traffic, slippery surface when wet, uneven surface, rock fall from above / overhang.
Duntroon
Suggested visit time: 1h - 2hAs you leave the Maerewhenua rock art site, turn left at the end of Livingstone-Duntroon Rd onto Duntroon-Georgetown Rd. Cross the bridge and you have arrived in Duntroon.Welcome to your final destination today - Duntroon! A place of history and discovery. Take a relaxed walk through the wetlands or be ‘gaoled and bailed’ at the historic Gaol. Picnic on the Village Green or have a meal at the historic Duntroon Hotel. Explore the legendary ‘Brewery Hole’ and discover our resident Moa. Visit the Vanished World Centre and the historic Nicol's Blacksmith.
What's next
Well done. That's the end of the tour. We hope you've enjoyed learning some of the geological and social stories between Ōamaru and Duntroon and enjoyed seeing some stunning rural scenery.Try our Geo-Highlights, Waitaki Valley Tour if you want to explore more sites in the Waitaki Valley. If you are heading back to Ōamaru, you can either go back the same way via Ngapara or via SH83.If you'd like to learn more about what's in the Waitaki, including places to stay and to eat at (or dine at), please visit Tourism Waitaki's website.
