On the east coast between Dunedin and Oamaru is a small town called Moeraki. Lying on a beach north of town are a number of large, spherical boulders, known as the Moeraki Boulders. Local Māori legend says these boulders are the remains of eel baskets, calabashes (a gourd), and kumara (a sweet potato) that washed ashore from the wreck of a large sailing canoe known as the Arai-te-uru. The patterning on some of the boulders, according to this legend, are the remains of the canoe's fishing nets. Scientifically, the boulders are concretions created by the cementation of mudstone that happened around 50-60 million years ago, and which have been revealed by coastal erosion. The inside of the boulders are hollow, as could be seen in some that had broken open over time.
No matter which explanation you believe, these boulders are a very popular destination for tour buses. When we were there, three to four busloads of tourists were on the beach. We waited until they left to get some photos of the boulders without people posing next to them. The high tide was just starting to retreat when we were there and there were lots of clouds in the sky.
We decided to go back the next morning to see if we could get better conditions. Unfortunately, a light, misty rain was falling when we arrived, so conditions weren’t perfect. But, that didn’t stop me from going out and making some images.
Boulder Family
Exploded Boulders
