The Dannevirke Fantasy Cave started as a small Christmas cave, where Santa would come and visit the children of Dannevirke. But over the past 30+ years it has blossomed into a professionally presented year round exhibit, attracting visitors from all over New Zealand and overseas alike, with it’s amazing displays of fairytales, nursery rhymes and well known stories.
The Cave is administered by a committee of Cave Dwellers, and is entirely constructed and operated by volunteers. Mondays are the official workdays, but in typical volunteer tradition many extra hours are spent all in the name of enjoyment of their project and the pleasure it brings to the public.
The cave first opened for Christmas in 1989.
Displays often change over the course of a year, with iconic ones staying all year round.
The Cave Dwellers have built a train layout, known as the “Little Southern Hawke’s Bay Railway”, depicting many iconic buildings from the area.
Santa is in residence from December 1st to 24th and he enjoys the visits of thousands of children and the “young at heart”. (You don’t have to have children to visit our Cave).