These tiny animals make up our Oamaru Stone. Just how did these sea creatures become limestone – and what do they tell us about the past? Resources: Colouring in and fact sheet - VIEW Video - Oamaru Stone made from Bryozoans - VIEW Information and activity sheet (The geological story of Oamaru) - VIEW Image credit: Ruth K Baldwin

The diatom - a fossilised algae and focus of parlour games during Victorian times. So what’s the story with diatoms? Recourses: Video – Why are diatoms found in rock when they live in water - VIEW Video – The story of the Waitaki Diatom - VIEW Activity sheet – colour in and arrange like a Victorian scientist - VIEW Information and activity sheet – create your own diatom - VIEW Diatom images to print, colour and display - VIEW Visit the Waitaki Museum in Oamaru to learn more about diatoms and have a go at creating your own diatom display on their light table Image credit: Wayne Barrar

Large limestone formations scattered across this rural paddock – but how did they get there? Resources: Information sheet - VIEW Geosite webpage - VIEW Elephant Rocks soundscape:

Long ago, the area of Oamaru was under the sea. It was home to volcanic eruptions and ancient sea life. How did our landscape form, and where did the resources used for building the Whitestone City of the Victorian era come from? Resources: Information and activity sheet - VIEW Oamaru soundscape: Also see topics bryozoans, diatoms, and volcanoes.

The geologic timescale is a timeline that shows the order of geologic events that have formed our land. It spans millions of years. Earth scientists can work out how old a rock is by: Measuring the decay of special elements in a rock (radiometric dating) Certain fossils in sedimentary rocks Superposition – younger rocks are on top of older rocks (there are exceptions to this i.e. where rocks are deformed and some igneous rocks) Resources: WWG geologic timescale – this shows some special features in our geopark and when they were formed - VIEW

Our story begins with Gondwana, an ancient supercontinent that broke apart into new lands. Zealandia is one of these fragments – the 8th continent of the world, and the foundation of modern New Zealand. Resources: Gondwana colouring in puzzle and information sheet - VIEW

Probably the largest eagle to have ever lived – and was native to New Zealand. Learn more about this ancient predator. Resources: Information sheet - VIEW Moa Trail - VIEW

The smallest penguin in the world and native to New Zealand. Learn more about this modern-day treasure. Resources: Information sheet - VIEW Video – Ancient giant penguins to the modern day - VIEW Make a penguin mask - VIEW Also see topic ‘Geology of Oamaru’

Marine (sea) fossils of international significance have been found in the rocks of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark. Learn more about the ancient world they lived in and where to see casts and displays of our prehistoric sea life. Resources Information sheet - VIEW Also see topics ‘bryozoans’, ‘Diatoms’, and ‘Geology of Oamaru’

One of the biggest birds to have ever lived (up to 3.6 metres tall) and native to New Zealand. Moa remains have been found in locations in the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark. Resources: Information sheet - VIEW Moa Trail - VIEW

Formed by ancient lake and rivers, the gravels and sand have been pushed up by the active Ostler Fault to form cliffs. Resources: Information sheet - VIEW

The plesiosaur – a huge creature that lived in our seas around 70 million years ago. Plesiosaurs died out with the dinosaurs around 66 million years ago. A plesiosaur fossil was discovered in the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark and you can see this in the Otago Museum. Resources: Colouring in - VIEW Information sheet - VIEW

Rocks that make up the earth’s crust are categorised into three different rock types – sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous. Each rock type is formed in a different way. Learn more here and become a rock detective. Resources: Information sheets - currently under development

These impressive boulders are made of mud cemented together by the mineral calcite. They formed millions of years ago within muds under the sea. Resources: Information sheet - VIEW Geosite webpage - VIEW

Remnants of ancient volcanoes can be seen along the coastal section of the Waitaki Whitestone Geopark. But when did they erupt, and what kind of volcanos were they? Resources: Make a volcano model - VIEW Colouring in - VIEW Label a volcano - VIEW Geosite webpages Boatmans harbour - VIEW Hutcheson's quarry - VIEW Puketapu - VIEW Bridge point - VIEW Video – Pillow lava formation - VIEW Volcano information sheet - VIEW Inside a volcano - VIEW Volcanic rock – spot it - VIEW Also refer to the topic ‘Geology of Oamaru’

Braided rivers not only flow from the mountains to the sea, but can sweep across their floodplain – their active channels changing with flooding and sediment buildup. Learn more about some of the features of our very special Waitaki River. Resources: Information sheet - VIEW