The event was part of New Zealand Archaeology Week and while Totara Estate celebrated it a few days early, the event was still a hit.
Ms Allison said only eight children turned up for the event last year, so the jump in numbers was very rewarding.
She said as part of the event, items were hidden in sand for the children to find.
They went through four stations with different activities, which included excavating, cleaning, sorting and cataloguing, to learn the processes of archaeology.
The children were mainly interested in the excavating part, but Ms Allison saw a handful of potential future archaeologists among the group.
"I was most surprised to come across kids who had a keen interest in doing it properly.
"Some kids are just wanting to get involved in and get in the sand and get dirty, but there were a few kids who were being really careful with it and really taking their time.
"For me, I could see those kids entering the field later on. You could see that interest in them really early, which is cool."
An afternoon tea was put on afterwards for the children and their parents.
