The area surrounding Duntroon has some quick interesting spots to visit, though nothing that is high on any “must-see” list. Duntroon is about a 30-minute drive from Oamaru.
Vanished World Centre is a small museum in “downtown” Duntroon. Gets maps and info about all the local sights and pay about $5 to see the fossil exhibits, weird rocks and Duntroon-ish stuff. The road from Duntroon to Ngapara: This road features most of the Duntroon interest-stops. Begin the route (Dansey’s Pass Rd) just east of Vanished Ctr and zero your odometer.
First up is the Maerewhenua Maori rock-art site, just 1km from Duntroon. Not too many memorable paintings to see, but worth a quick peek.
Then it’s 5km more to Elephant Rocks, a mini collection of limestone boulders akin to Castle Hill. Basically you can walk anywhere you want to explore the clustered-together boulders. Expect to spend 20-30 minutes looking around. Narnia filmed massive scenes at the Elephant Rocks. (Look for the Narnia-set poster in Vanished World).
I.0 km farther is the Anatini whale fossil site. A 1-minute walk from the roadside parking delivers you to the in-situ whale-bone fossils. Interesting too is the gully before the fossil which is adorned with a cornucopia of turn-of-the-century signatures and some mysterious steps. If you watch Narnia (about minute 84) you’ll see this valley and its distinctive limestone arch.
A few km farther the road drops for a short drive through the short and scenic Valley of the Whales.
North of Duntroon:
Just 3km north of Duntroon on SH 83 is the Takiroa Maori rock art site. This site has a roadside carpark and heaps of historic-info signage. This is a “showcase” site, but sadly there’s not too much of interest—most of the goods are in museums. To see some better rock art sites, check Timaru entry.
Earthquakes. Don’t know…I haven’t visited the area.
