Dionne Christian takes her would-be palaentologists pre-historic hunting
We'd read that West Auckland's Crystal Mountain had a new attraction, Dinosaur Gully, so we made the trek out with another family. It's been years since we visited the Crystal Mine museum. Processes that formed the world as we know it, and possibly helped end the dinosaurs' long reign, were involved in the formation of crystalline rocks.
A visit to the museum, and expansive gift shop, provides an idea of the range, colour and sheer beauty of crystals. The static exhibitions of crystals and minerals including their mining, replica fossils and dinosaur skeletons fascinated the kids. Giants of the Earth shows how big some crystals can get, but we adults would have appreciated more information.
On the opposite side of the park, there's a miniature farm plus rides like a mini roller coaster, train around the park, electronic tractors and pony rides and the dinosaurs: two stegosaurus, three small triceratops, a menacing T-Rex and a brachiosaurus and, oddly, a kangaroo. The position of the T-Rex and the brachiosaurus provides a glimpse at what it might have looked like had these two faced off.
To grown-up eyes, the place looks rundown and the grounds in need of a good tidy up but our kids (aged 3 to 9) loved it. They had the best time and spent the entire day going from ride to ride and back again, in and out of the museum and gaping at the dinosaurs. They really got their money's worth.
