Moeraki

Moeraki is a small coastal town in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the east coast along State Highway 1, roughly between Oamaru and Dunedin. The town has a quiet, rural character and serves as a service point for the surrounding farming and fishing communities.

The area’s most famous feature is the Moeraki Boulders, a collection of large, spherical concretions scattered along Koekohe Beach. These rocks are sedimentary concretions that formed over millions of years around a core, then became exposed by coastal erosion. They typically range from about one meter to several meters in diameter, and some have hollowed interiors or known seams where erosion has split the sphere. The boulders are commonly observed at low tide and are a major draw for visitors.

Geologically, the boulders are associated with the Koekohe Formation and are widely cited as being around 60 million years old, dating to the late Cretaceous to early Cenozoic era. Erosion by waves continues to reshape the shoreline and the exposed boulders over time.

Historically, the area was inhabited by Māori before European settlement. In the 19th and 20th centuries, Moeraki developed as a small coastal community supporting agriculture and fishing. Today, Moeraki continues as a tranquil locality with facilities catering to travelers, including the viewing area and interpretive signs at the boulder site, while preserving the natural and cultural landscape that surrounds it.