In it, Mantell showed the presence of a greater number of beach stones than there is today. Erosion of the cliffs around Koekohe Beach, uncovered the boulders. One version of the story tells that long ago, the Kähui Tipua people sailed out on an expedition to the mythical land of Hawaiiki in their double-hulled waka (canoe) called the Arai Te Uru. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres high.Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. Moeraki is a small fishing village on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.It was once the location of a whaling station. Unlike the Otago Coast boulders, these stones formed within layers of volcanic ash in a process that scientists are still trying to understand. New Zealand!” I can hear the cheers from Texas already.). Minerals began to precipitate around some nucleus, perhaps of an organic nature. The process continued and the concretions grew slowly over millions of years. There were many more boulders on the Moeraki beach, but the small and easy-to-transport rocks have been stolen over time, often to decorate gardens. From there I decided to head over to the famous Moeraki Boulders for a coffee and a bit of relaxing before journeying north. The larger boulders are estimated to have formed over a period of 4 million years. Questions about the universe sparked colorful myths and legends that are still intriguing even today, and the Maori legend about the stones on the Otago Coast is no exception. However, I do have a disclaimer: initially, it was a bit of a let down. There is so much to see over on this side of the country, Moeraki Boulders, Fleurs Cafe, Katiki Point lighthouse, Moeraki town and so much more! According to scientists, the formation of these concretions began approximately 60 million years ago within the muddy Paleocene marine sediments of the Moeraki Formation. So, my rock-loving self was still happy. They originally formed on the sea floor when the mudstone was accumulating during the early Tertiary period, some 60 million years ago. The larger boulders are estimated to have taken 4 to 5.5 million years to grow, while 10 to 50m of marine mud accumulated on the seafloor above them. Graham, I. J. Wellington, NZ: Geological Society of New Zealand in Association with GNS Science, 2008. The local Maori culture values a connection with nature and the preservation of its resources. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There are more than 50 strewn like dinosaur eggs along the beach. Interesting history topics are just a click away. His work on Iguanodon had a significant influence on the study of dinosaurs. The underlaying sand of the boulders was slowly washed away by the wind and water moving the individual boulders towards the ocean. Their goal was to find and bring back kumara sweet potato plants to grow back home. The sediments containing the boulders would have been deposited very late in the global Flood or just afterward—about 4,500 years ago. I’ve made three visits to the Moreaki Boulders and I know I haven’t seen the last of them. The word ‘concretion’ comes from two Latin words. Mysteries in the Plain of Jars, Laos. The boulders have become the most fascinating and popular attractions on the Island of the south. Having cemented with minerals, these concretions became significantly harder than the sediment surrounding them. Like the Moeraki Boulders, these are also spherical cannonball concretions. Legend of the Moeraki Boulders Because of long occupation by the Maori race, almost every physical feature, headland, bay or rock – was known to the Maoris by its proper name. The Moeraki Boulders lie in Otago, on the east coast of South Island, New Zealand. They kind of look like big cannon balls, or alien orbs, but the reality is that they are “concretions that have been exposed through shoreline erosion from coastal cliffs” (according to the official Moeraki Boulders website). An exceptionally round concretion in the Moeraki Boulders cluster in New Zealand. Accordingly, the Moeraki Boulders formation began on the ancient seafloor sediments 60 million years ago, during the early Tertiary period. Most of the Otago concretions are round – some of them almost perfectly – while others are more ovoid or slightly irregular in shape. He said the council would be working with DOC to increase awareness and help deter the … A shattered Moeraki Boulder reveals a colorful core. These are known as types of concretions which are mineral-cemented masses that often form within layers of sediment. Although their massive size and odd surface patterns are unique, round stones in nature are quite common. This was one of the top items on my New Zealand bucketlist (fly around the world to look at weird rocks, go figure). (“FINALLY! I’d seen countless images online and had high expectations. However, documentation of the Moeraki Boulders did not take place until European involvement. They range in size from about 1.5 meters to a little over 2 meters. Erosion is part of it, but many have “walked away” as souvenirs. There are currently over 50 boulders on the beach, the largest weighing around 7 tons. The biggest boulders weigh 7 tons and measure over 2 metres across. With that being said, there are still quite a few, and from a geologic standpoint there is no denying the marvels that they are. Today, the shoreline is artfully arrayed with spheres that were preserved because of calcification that resisted erosion. As part of his work, he documented the concretions in a seaside sketch dated to 1848. We parked at the Moeraki Boulders car park, where there’s a café and (of course) souvenir shop.From there starts a walkway leading down to the beach. These boulders are classed as septarian concretions, and were formed in ancient sea floor sediments. I have visited the site many times & each time is different. Each concretion began with an organic nucleus, “such as a leaf, cone, shell, fish-bone, or other relic of plant or animal” (Geikie:96). Source: Wikimedia, Oren Rosen. Apparently there are still boulders in the cliffs waiting to drop onto the beach! Take a walk to the Moeraki Boulders – geological marvels, exposed by erosion of sedimentary rocks laid down from 13 to 65 million years ago.. How long will it take? The occurrence of septaria is a rather mysterious process and scientists are not exactly sure what causes them. How Were the Moeraki Boulders Formed? Although the place is now protected, it continues to be plundered. The earthquake near Kaikoura in late 2016 has allowed similar boulders to be viewed following the uplift of the seafloor in that event. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Our own mammalian ancestors during that epoch were mostly small and rodent like. Some of the boulders weigh several tonnes and the largest ones can be over 2 metres wide! Centuries of coastline erosion have revealed a spectacular view of these curiously large spherical boulders. It may be that the Moeraki Boulders formed within sediment that was soft enough to allow mineral-rich water to flow through the muddy particles. The Moeraki Boulders are huge, almost perfectly round boulders in the Koekohe Beach on the Moeraki Peninsula in the Otago region of New Zealand. From that vantage point, visitors can see the 60 million-year-old spheres that all began with a simple organic particle in the muddy seabed. There are over 50 boulders on the beach, which range in size from 0.5m to just over 2.2m but can also be up to 3 meters wide. The 4-million-year age on the tourist sign is another example of the constant indoctrination of the public into the belief system of millions of years… Source: Wikimedia, pseudopanax, public domain. Note: They’re well known for their actual meals, but it is a tad bit pricey. Miscellaneous series 9. People sometimes mistake the Moeraki Boulders for dinosaur eggs, alien remnants, or evidence of giants. Sometime after the concretions formed, cracks called septaria began to occur. THEN, hurry over to catch sun set at the boulders. Damage seen on some of the softer boulders at Moeraki. I first saw the Moeraki Boulders while browsing ‘New Zealand Attractions’ on Pinterest some time ago, and I just knew we had to get there. Off on another adventure we go! If she's not plunging down the SEO rabbit hole, she's visiting some ancient site in Italy, where she currently lives in the middle of an active caldera. A number of the spheres are cracked and display a turtle-like mosaic. ( Log Out /  Koutu – Hokianga District, North Island, New Zealand. Although the concretions at this site are very similar to the ones on the Otago Coast, the Koutu site has even larger examples, ranging up to 5 meters. We … Maori legend refers to the Moeraki Boulders as the wreckage from a large Waka (sailing canoe) ?raiteuru. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), While you wait for sunset, go for coffee (I’m not on that bandwagon, but apparently some people like it) and dessert at, After you’ve successfully induced a sugar coma, take a quick 5-minute drive to the. ( Log Out /  The larger boulders are estimated to have formed over a period of 4 million years. Before scientific inquiry, humans viewed the world and nature from a magical and wondrous perspective. Inside some of the crumbling stones, the centers are hollow, perhaps having decomposed over time. Does the Kaimanawa Wall Re-Write New Zealand’s History? One layer at a time, the boulders grew larger over the years. Moeraki's mysteriously spherical beach boulders have long captivated geologists and tourists alike. Walter Mantell was a politician and scientist of geology and paleontology. As you can see from the photos below, the Moeraki Boulders are quite large, some reaching up to 15, 400 lbs (7 tonne) and can measure more than 9 feet across (3m). What are the Moeraki Boulders? “Midway between the Bluff and Moeraki, the clay contains layers of septaria [concretions], varying from one to five feet and more in diameter. The underlaying sand of the boulders was slowly washed away by the wind and water moving the individual boulders towards the ocean. Mantell’s father, Gideon Mantell (1790-1852), was also a geologist and paleontologist. As the sedimentary rock layers the boulders formed in are were eroded away, the harder, more resistant concretions were left behind. Geikie, Archibald. The boulders range anywhere from 3ft-7ft in diameter, and weigh several tons. The Moeraki Boulders are huge spherical rocks on Koekohe Beach on the Otago coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The Boulders are about 40km (approx 30 minutes drive) … The Moeraki Boulders: Not Your Typical Beach Balls. The raw beauty of New Zealand has remained intact over the years, its natural glory still relatively unaffected, glimpses of which we could see during our drive through the South Island. The name Moeraki comes from the Māori (the indigenous people of New Zealand), meaning “drowsy day.”. MANTELL ON THE GEOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. Moeraki is on the east coast of New Zealand. The Moeraki Boulders formed within a thick deposit of mud, silt and clay called the Moeraki Formation. It is ‘free’ to visit the boulders although there is a weird situation whereby if you want to reach the boulders by the boardwalk, you are supposed to pay $2 as the boardwalk is built, owned and maintained by the cafe onsite there. Each concretion began with an organic nucleus, “such as a leaf, cone, shell, fish-bone, or other relic of plant or animal” (Geikie:96). Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. This week, Kate and I went on a little adventure to explore all of these awesome places! (New Zealand Department of Conservation). One said, “Have a cupcake then have another” and the other was a black and white photo of the Moeraki boulders. Tourist information says the boulders were “exposed by erosion of sedimentary rocks laid down from 65 to 13 million years ago. The Moeraki Boulders are one of 101-must do’s for kiwis and tourists in … Moeraki Boulders on the beach in New Zealand. All rights reserved. The Boulders. In geological terms that may well be true, but that means that the boulders are at least fifty six million years old. These fractures on the outer layers have subsequently become filled with yellow and brown calcite, quartz, and dolomite deposits in a process known as secretion. One such example is the phenomenon of the Moeraki Boulders which, through the years have been objects of absorbing interest to the thousands who have visited the locality. The larger boulders are estimated to have taken 4 to 5.5 million years to grow, while 10 to 50m of marine mud accumulated on the seafloor above them. The Moeraki boulders date from the Paleocene epoch which translates as the early recent. A more boring explanation (but not to the geologists!) Taking around 4 million years to form their current size. is that the Moeraki Boulders started forming on the ocean floor over 60 million years ago and centuries of coastline erosion have revealed a spectacular view of these curiously large spherical boulders. Moeraki Boulders – Photo Credit: Donald Manlapaz, Moeraki Boulders – Photo Credit: Jason Chua. Although I now live in Brisbane I was born in Dunedin & lived there for 70 years. Thus, the Moeraki fishing village oversees the care for its stone-dotted beach, which is constantly undergoing change and erosion. The Moeraki Boulders are concretions created by the cementation of the Paleocene mudstone of the Moeraki Formation, from which they have been exhumed by coastal erosion. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  The boulders at Moeraki on the North Otago coast have speculated over for hundreds of years. The main body of the boulders started forming in what was then marine mud, near the surface of the Paleocene sea floor. The Mysteries of New Zealand’s Kaimanawa Wall. others spherical; many were entire, whilst others were broken, and glittering with yellow and brown crystals of calcareous spar.”. Large boulders shaped like nearly perfect … The stones themselves are decomposing and cracking, and a number of them now lie in shattered pieces across the beach. They are concretions from the marine mudstone of the Paleocene Moeraki Formation, presumed to be accumulations of an outer shelf setting that stretches from Moeraki north to Oamaru. Our own mammalian ancestors during that epoch were mostly small and rodent like. Variably, they lie clumped in groups or as individuals scattered across the beach. Scientists believe the boulders to be calcite concretions which were formed an estimated 65 million years ago. © 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Subsequently, Geologic activity caused an uplifting of the mudstone out of the sea to create the cliffs along the beach. As each boulder weathers, the hard veins of calcite are exposed, giving them their geometric appearance. Of calcareous spar. ” 13th century CE years many of them now, eroding... 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