Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand Jan 7, 2025

Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand

One of the world"s most curious rock displays can be found on Koekohe Beach in New Zealand. The Moeraki Boulders, some of which are over two metres in diameter, have been shaped by nature over millions of years. Each boulder started as a pebble on the seabed around 65 million years ago. Over time, layers of mud and silt built up around them, cemented together by calcite. Thanks to erosion and the movement of the sea, the boulders eventually emerged. According to local Māori legends, the Moeraki Boulders are remnants of eel baskets, calabashes and kūmara that washed ashore from the wreck of Āraiteuru, a great sailing canoe.

© Douglas Pearson/eStock Photo

palette

Today in History

What the heck is a distaff?
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Jan 7, 2026Old Rock Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jewel of the Adriatic
Feb 19, 2024Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, Spain
Hovering over harmonious horticulture
Dec 12, 2023Red poinsettia
A breathtaking cave when it’s cold
A feel of an era bygone
Feb 26, 2026Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
Aug 20, 2023Start Point Lighthouse, South Devon, England
Sep 5, 2025Happy Onam!
Apr 19, 2026Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh
Jan 19, 2024Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Jan 13, 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii, USA
Dec 20, 2024Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland
May 5, 2026Tŵr Mawr Lighthouse, Anglesey, Wales
Oct 23, 2025International Day of the Snow Leopard
Feb 6, 2024Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Saving and celebrating honey bees
Oct 13, 2025Fishing boat on beach in Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu
Where are these birds headed?
May 17, 2025A delta in the Venetian Lagoon, Italy
Jun 10, 2024The city of Osaka at night, Japan
May 18, 2025International Museum Day
Aug 17, 2025Lyngvig Lighthouse, Hvide Sande, Denmark
A peck between penguins
Jul 8, 2024Blueberries growing in the wild
‘Night shining’ clouds
Sep 14, 2023Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia
May 16, 2025Hawa Mahal, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Feb 20, 2025Red deer, Canada
Feb 27, 2025Polar bear cub, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada