Dinosaur Footprints exhibition to leave tracks across Lower Hutt

Starting 5 September, Hutt City Libraries will be the Wellington region’s host for a national touring exhibition about the first dinosaur footprints found in New Zealand.

Dinosaur Footprints – A Story of Discovery, owned and developed by GNS Science, with generous funding from New Zealand Oil & Gas, is an exciting story of NZ science and research in action, told by the scientist who made the discovery.

The 70 million-year-old footprints belong to an ancient sauropod dinosaur, known for their large size and long necks. The footprints were discovered by GNS Science geologist, Greg Browne, who worked through a process of elimination to conclude that the marks were made by dinosaurs.

Visitors will be able to touch replicas of the footprints, the largest approximately 30cm in diameter. The libraries are supporting the exhibition by running dinosaur-themed events throughout September. There will be dinosaur story times, 3D printing and stop-motion animation workshops, and talks by palaeontologists for both kids and adults.

Another way to participate is to design your own dinosaur and be in to win prizes donated by Toy World and Friends of Hutt City Libraries. It can be realistic, or completely surprising. Hutt City Libraries Manager Sandra Mann says, “We had some fantastically creative ideas back from our Design a Planet competition earlier this year, and I’m sure the dinosaurs will prove to be just as imaginative.”

This is the last opportunity to see this exhibition, which has been on national tour since mid-2014. After opening at Auckland Museum, it has been showcased at 10 venues with more than 240,000 visitors to date.