Dolamore Park

Dolamore Park sits eleven kilometres out of Gore on the lower slopes of the Hokonui Hills, with a playground that shares its ninety five hectares of native podocarp forest with camping grounds, garden plantings and a disc golf course, making it more of a weekend destination than a quick neighbourhood stop.

Equipment

A flying fox headlines the playground, alongside slides, swings including an infant seat, and a climbing frame, all set on a bark surface. A gazebo shades the nearby picnic tables, though the play area itself has little direct shade.

History and Cultural

The Gore Borough Council bought the land in 1940 to create a public picnic ground that also opened up access into the adjoining Croydon Bush Scenic Reserve as a wildlife sanctuary. The Dolamore family later made a substantial donation towards the picnic ground and facilities, and the park was named in their honour.

Practical Info

Camping is available with 22 powered sites for campervans plus unlimited grassed tent sites, a kitchen, toilets and showers, priced per adult with school age children discounted and under fives free, and dogs are not permitted anywhere in the park. Anyone staying overnight can walk the Dolamore Loop Track after dark to spot glow worms, and native fantails, tui and bellbirds are regularly seen in the canopy among the Ian Gilchrist conifer collection and Bert Newman arboretum.