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A monumental mirror-polished sauropod standing on a geometric rock in Riverside Park.
Before you stop
The reserve car park may be unavailable on market days or during public events; follow current signage.
- Parking on site
Private to your Passport.
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Boom Boom – Taupō
This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.
Approximate location · 38.683° S, 176.070° E
FIELD GUIDE
The story
The dinosaur is based on an inflatable pool toy, and the rock it stands on is a volcanic bomb.
Gregor Kregar's Boom Boom was revealed in Taupō in May 2025, eight years after the Taupō Sculpture Trust started working towards it. The Trust had already placed a dozen works around town; this was lucky number thirteen, and the first piece to go into the dedicated sculpture park. As one of the Trust's people put it, they did not want it to hide in the background and just be something pretty – they wanted it to create a buzz.
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PRACTICAL
Plan your stop
WHAT TO EXPECT
Boom Boom is a monumental mirror-polished sauropod standing on a geometric rock in Riverside Park, forming part of the Riverside Sculpture Trail in Taupō. Sources differ on the sculpture's height: the Taupō Sculpture Trust records the work as roughly seven metres high, while contemporary reporting describes the complete dinosaur-and-rock composition as nearly ten metres tall.
ACCESS
Boom Boom is in Riverside Park off Redoubt Street and anchors the Riverside Sculpture Trail. The sculpture itself is still represented only by an approximate park-area anchor, not a claimed exact object point. For drivers, the public Riverside Park reserve car park at 15 Redoubt Street is independently mapped at -38.68362, 176.06793; enter from Redoubt Street, use the formed public car park and continue on foot. The car park may be unavailable on market days or during public events, so follow current signs.
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TRANSPARENCY
Sources & research
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