One of the most photographed beaches in New Zealand is Koehohe beach, located 60km north of Dunedin. This is the beach where the Moeraki boulders are located.
These special round boulders are scattered over the beach.
Especially during low tide they are easy to see.
The Maori legend goes that part of the first inhabitants of New Zealand crashed in a Ārai-te-uru (a kind of big canoe). The Moeraki Boulders represent the provisions they had on board and then washed ashore and petrified.
The real story is - as always - a little less exciting than the myths. They are in fact concretions. In the case of the Moeraki Boulders this means that the petrified balls (including clay, silt and calcite) were first stuck in the coastline. The water hits the cliffs and the surrounding stone disappears through erosion, causing the balls to slowly come loose and land on the beach.
I am Antwan Janssen, travel and nature photographer from Uden. During my many travels on this globe I try to capture all the beauty on photo. As you can see on this site my preference goes to landscapes, wildlife but also to the local population, mostly abroad.. Read more…