Duntroon, New Zealand

Duntroon (from Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Treòin) is a small farming-town in the Waitaki District of New Zealand's South Island. Although traditionally considered a North Otago town, it is located as of 2018 within the farthest southern reaches of Canterbury. Just north of the town runs the Waitaki River, which forms the traditional border between the two regions, although the official border has moved south to put most of Waitaki District, including Duntroon, within Canterbury. To the east of the village runs the Maerewhenua River. Near the village are the Earthquakes, a limestone-cliff formation.

Duntroon
Town
Campbell St (State Highway 83), the main street
Coordinates: 44°51′17″S 170°41′2″E
CountryNew Zealand
RegionCanterbury
Territorial authorityWaitaki District
WardAhuriri Ward
CommunityAhuriri Community
Electorates
  • Waitaki
  • Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Government
  Territorial authorityWaitaki District Council
  Regional councilEnvironment Canterbury
  Mayor of WaitakiGary Kircher
  Waitaki MPMiles Anderson
  Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris
Area
  Total5.13 km2 (1.98 sq mi)
Population
 (June 2023)
  Total110
  Density21/km2 (56/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
  Summer (DST)UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Postcode
9445
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

The town was named by Scottish settler and farmer Robert Campbell. Economic activity has been mainly agricultural for much of the town's history, focusing primarily on sheep farming and on the growing of crops such as wheat and barley.

Duntroon is home to the Vanished World Heritage Centre, dedicated to showcasing the geology of the Waitaki region and preserving fossils of extinct species that have been found in the region. These include two species of the penguin genus Archaeospheniscus, Lowe's penguin and Lopdell's penguin, found in the Kokoamu Greensand formation. The town is also located near two sites of centuries-old Māori rock drawings, one of which being the Takiroa Rock Art Shelter.

5 kilometres (3 mi) south of Duntroon, in the Maerewhenua Valley, a group of large rock-formations called "Elephant Rocks" was used as a filming location for the first Chronicles of Narnia movie in 2005. The rock formations, located in a private field, are visible from the road.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.