Moeraki Boulders

These spherical stones are huge! They are called 'The Moeraki Boulders' and are found along Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, on New Zealand's Otago coast. They were formed when the Otago Peninsula was under water some 60 million years ago. They are grey-coloured septarian concretions which have been exposed through shoreline erosion from black mudstone coastal cliffs just by the beach.

The boulders weigh several tonnes and are up to three metres in diametre.

Maori legend tells that the boulders fell off into the water from the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru.

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