Not so long ago, the tavern in the quiet Waitaki Valley town lay vacant and unloved and there was virtually no accommodation. It was a blip on State Highway 83 en route to Kurow, Otematata, Omarama and beyond.
As the last stop on the Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail before reaching Oamaru, an influx of cyclists requiring meals, accommodation, supplies and attractions is opening up opportunities for the Waitaki Valley township to reinvent itself as a humming tourist stop.
Summer was an eye-opener of what could come as the town was full of bikes, buses, cars, camper vans and hitchhikers - and they were all stopping.
The whiff of opportunity has encouraged a wide cross-section of people to get involved in providing goods and services for the cyclists passing through Duntroon while using the trail. Last year, Katrina Mclennan and her partner opened Kowhai Cottage for business, offering accommodation in central Duntroon. They had their first guests in December and they have been busy ever since.
''We had no idea, going into it, not really understanding what the need was for accommodation,'' Ms Mclennan said.
''We were overwhelmed by the number of cyclists passing through.''
Also a Duntroon District Development Association (DDDA) member, Ms Mclennan said interest in property had increased, the pub had reopened and The Flying Pig Cafe and Vanished World were going from strength to strength.
Duntroon already has a lot to offer - limestone formations such as the Elephant Rocks, the Duntroon Wetlands and pre-European history with numerous Maori rock art sites and the stories of the Waitaha people.
A piece of Duntroon history, the 1890s Nicol's blacksmith forge, is in the process of being restored, as is the Brewery Hole, the original source of Duntroon's water supply and part of a broader network of unmapped underground caves.
Anecdotal feedback suggested there were groups of cyclists who, after reaching Duntroon on two wheels, were being transported to Oamaru in a support vehicle for the night and driven back in the morning to finish their cycle journey.
''That's not what we want. We want to be able to have people staying in Duntroon, having groups staying, having a buzz in Duntroon,'' Ms Mclennan said.
This year, Californian native Ted Banks has plans to provide accommodation from an old railway property which he has renovated.
''We need more accommodation, we need some sort of dairy, there's lots that could be done here,'' Ms Mclennan said.
''A fuel station would be nice, not to have to go to Oamaru every time you need fuel.''
As the trail grows, the DDDA also sees an opportunity for the private sector to develop the camping ground.
The camping ground is owned by the Waitaki District Council, while the DDDA has been managing it for years.
''It's becoming really tough for volunteers ... it's become really busy - there's people coming in all the time,'' she said.
The Alps 2 Ocean Cycle Trail would not be a ''quick fix'' for Duntroon and the town was ''miles off'' being ready for the numbers projected by Tourism Waitaki, Ms Mclennan said.
