"Elephant Rocks from the Sub-Sea Age" Top 5 Page for this destination Otago Off The Beaten Path Tip by Kakapo2

The Elephant Rocks near the little township of Duntroon in the Waitaki Valley (between Oamaru and Omarama) are part of quite a number of interesting remains of the era when the area was still covered by the sea. You find lots of fossils... no, let's say, a lot of fossils of whales, dolphins and other sea creatures were found in this region which have been transported to various museums.

The Elephant Rocks are strangely shaped limestone formations sitting on private land near the Danseys Pass Road (see extra tip). They are not blocked off for the public, you have free access over farmland. Parking is along the road, and the walk is just 100 or 200 metres. Of course, if you want to get closer to the rocks, you can easily do a loop walk of a kilometre or more.

A comparison with Castle Hill:

If you do not go to Arthurs Pass and therefore do not see Castle Hill (more info about this on my Canterbury page), the Elephant Rocks are a fine example of the area's geological sub-sea past. And the rocks are nicely laid out like an amphi-theatre. Castle Hill is a much bigger area, and the rocks have about five or six times the size of the elephants.

Information and Trail Maps:

You get a map of the whole fossil trail network and information about the geology of the area at the Vanished World Visitor Centre in Duntroon. This is located right along the main road, if coming from Oamaru/Waimate, it is on the left side. You cannot miss it.

The folder costs $ 6. If you are just interested in the Elephant Rocks and have time restraints, you do not really need it. The road is well marked.

http://www.vanishedworld.co.nz/

Directions

Coming from Oamaru...

1. ... on the main roads:
You drive on SH 83. Reaching Duntroon there is a sign (black on yellow) to the left, with "Elephant Rocks" written on it, and the main direction Danseys Pass/Ngapara. They are about 4 km from SH 83. So take this turn to the left. At the first fork keep to the right, at the second fork to the left (there is also this yellow sign with "Elephant Rocks"). Your main direction always is Ngapara. (Vanished World would be some hundred metres further along SH 83, and you would have to drive back this short way.)

2. ... on a hinterland route:
Take a turn to the left in Oamaru towards Weston/Ngapara. This is a rarely used road through the hinterland. In Ngapara Duntroon should already be indicated. If not, Island Cliff would be the next place to head for. After that you would automatically pass the Elephant Rocks when heading for Duntroon.

More to see:

There are two more interesting fossil sites along your way.

Just 1 km further on the right (if coming from Duntroon/Elephant Rocks), or 1 km before reaching the Elephant Rocks, to your left, is the Anatini site with the whale fossil remains.

Carrying on from Duntroon towards Omarama on SH 83, there are the Maori rock paintings of Tokiroa on your left after 3 or 4 km. (Parking on both sides of the road.)

Photo 2 shows you a wider angle of the area. Photo 1 with us humans included should give you an idea of the size of the rocks.