Shantytown – nestled amidst regenerative native rain forest - provides a 'real' sense of what it was like to live in New Zealand 'then' and what it means to be a New Zealander 'now' by allowing you to be both participant and observer in this most dynamic period of its post-Maori colonisation.

Open daily 8.30am till 5pm, 7 days per week. (closed Christmas day)

Shantytown is located approximately 10km's south of Greymouth.

On September 1^st 2005 we officially opened New Zealand's first major model village - Little Earth.

1930's Waiuta is being recreated true-to-scale in miniature with approximately 150 buildings on over ¾ acre.

Waiuta was a booming gold mining town 60km east of Greymouth and is the South Island's richest known gold field. It closed overnight with a collapse of one of its mine shafts in 1951; it was quickly deserted and is now a ghost town with few buildings remaining. However local man Alan Hunt is bringing it back to life on a small scale. With the help of old black & white photographs Alan has spent 13 years modelling the various public and private buildings that made Waiuta, from photographs that remain and has crafted figures and accessories to bring the town back to life.

Landscaping has taken 12 months and is a good representation of what the layout of Waiuta looked like.

An English Village and Nursery Rhyme Village will be added as soon as Waiuta is finished.

Guided tours are available but must be pre-booked to avoid disappointment.