Raetihi’s prehistoric delight
Enclosed in a 1922 heritage building in Raetihi is a paleontology paradise — Dinosaur House. Liz Wylie visited the evergrowing collection.
Ian Moore and his wife Sarah purchased the former county council building around 12 years ago and opened Dinosaur House in 2019. They run it with the willing assistance of their children.
The ever-growing collection includes an impressively large Tyrannosaurus Rex and a Spinosaurus made of styrofoam.
Moore, a talented illustrator and animator, has added moving elements and audio to many displays.
Among the animated and static prehistoric creatures is the costume of Dr Alan Grant worn by Kiwi actor Sam Neill when he played the character in the 1993 film Jurassic Park.
“He hasn’t been here but his daughter-in-law and grandson visited recently,” Moore said.
“Sam is aware that we are here and he donated some small, signed pieces of memorabilia for our Jurassic Park cabinet. He also sent an email and told us that items from his Jurassic World costumes raised $245,000 for Unicef after he donated them for auction.”
The costume at Dinosaur House was purchased from a worldwide auction held by Premier Props, which works for Universal Studios.
Moore said although he paid a “stupid amount of money” for it, he now thinks he might have scored a bargain.
One of the less recognisable dinosaurs on display is the Oviraptor — a species that lived in Asia during the late Cretaceous period.
“They discovered an adult skeleton lying across some eggs and its name means ‘egg predator’ but with scanning technology, it was later discovered that the embryos were the same species so it was probably protecting them,” said Moore.
“The skeleton was male so it was probably similar to a penguin parent.
It didn’t deserve its bad reputation and probably should have a name that translates as ‘kind father’.”
For family members who might not be so fascinated by dinosaurs, Moore has created a small gallery of animated paleontologists whose holographic images “speak” from the narrow passageway walls.
There is Mary Anning, who discovered Jurassic marine fossil beds in the cliffs of Dover in the 1800s, and paleontology rivals Richard Owen and Edward Cope.
Looking dapper in a trilby hat is archeologist Roy Chapman Andrews, the man said to have inspired the Indiana Jones character.
And on the opposite wall is Aotearoa’s own “dinosaur lady”, Joan Wiffen, who discovered the country’s first dinosaur bone in the Mangahouanga Valley, Hawke’s Bay, in 1973.
Dinosaur House also offers opportunities to watch documentaries and play retro video games in the dinosaur arcade. There’s a well-stocked gift shop and an outdoor area with props for photo opportunities or a game of giant Connect Four.
Opening hours are 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 5pm on weekends. Entry fees are $10 for children and seniors and $12 per adult.