Millions year old geological formations, the Moeraki Boulders offer a surprising connection with Earth History. Situated 80km north of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand, the are a scientific jewel, a Maori legend and a feast for the eyes.
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INFO & PLANNING TIPS - MOERAKI BOULDERS
The Moeraki boulders are one of the most intriguing geological formations that I have seen so far (with the giant’s playground in Namibia). It was fascinating to discover those huge boulders set up on this flat beach. Some of them reach 3 meters in diameters and weigh several tonnes!
Those boulders were formed by precipitation of calcite in mudstone over 4 million years and this happened 65 to 13 million years ago! Then the erosion did it works and revealed these giants, letting us touch old Earth history!
Maori legend tells that the boulders are remains of calabashes (kumaras and eel baskets) that washed ashore and were turned into stones after the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru was wrecked nearby.
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Moeraki Boulders
Getting to Moeraki Boulders
- Located on Koekohe Beach
- The beach is between the towns of Moerkai and Hampden on State Highway 1.
Visiting the Moeraki Boulders
- A wood staircase takes you from the parking to the beach where a lot of the boulders are. You can go for a stroll on the beach and find more of them. There are over 50 boulders.
- There is the Moeraki café and toilets next to the parking lot
- Get more info from a Moeraki boulders dedicated website
Walking among the Moeraki Boulders
It is so impressive to see all those boulders perfectly round on such a flat classic beach. It is hard to get your mind around the idea of how they were created. I wish we had come earlier and had stayed longer for me to get more creative with the photography, but here are a few shots:
Having fun at the Moeraki Boulders
After taking some classic pictures, the group started being creative with them and having fun:
Several tonnes, no kidding?
Want to see more of NEW ZEALAND?
Discover more things to do with planning information and photos in my online New Zealand Travel Guide.
And you, what intriguing geological features have you seen?
Amazing natural wonder you got to see! Really interesting!
Thanks Renuka