Moeraki Stone Spheres

If you are planning to visit New Zealand you cannot miss going to one of the most curious and interesting attractions in the country, the Moeraki rocks. These amazing stones are scattered on Koekohe Beach on the Otago coast between Moeraki and Hampden in southern New Zealand.

 


The Moeraki rocks originated approximately 60 million years ago, and can measure up to three meters in diameter. They are believed to be the result of erosion and condensation processes over time, from the hardening of mudstone from the Paleocene period. Due to the characteristics of their structure, some have strange cracks, which are called "septary". These openings are filled with trace amounts of dolomite and quartz, as well as brown and yellow calcite, giving the spheres their distinctive appearance.

 

These peculiar rocks have been protected in a scientific reserve since, being exceptionally large and spherical rocks, they arouse intrigue due to their origin and perfection. Research results showed that its composition has nothing special and extraordinary, so its ideal shape is still a mystery.

 

For the Maori, these rocks are sacred. According to tradition, they say that they were formed from the fishing baskets of potatoes, eels and pumpkins that the tide dragged to the coast in the wreck of the Araiteuru canoe, which ended up sinking in Matakaea. These extraordinary formations are responsible for an unusual and unique beach landscape.





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