Tuesday 18 October 2016

ABC Wednesday, New Zealand, O for Otago


 Moeraki Boulders, New Zealand




 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Moeraki Boulders at sunrise

The Moeraki Boulders are unusually large and spherical boulders lying along a stretch of Koekohe Beach on the wave-cut Otago coast of New Zealand between Moeraki and Hampden. They occur scattered either as isolated or clusters of boulders within a stretch of beach where they have been protected in a scientific reserve. Due to erosion these boulders were exposed. Some of them weigh several tonnes.They were formed on the sea floor about  60 million years ago.



Local Māori legends explained the boulders as the remains of eel baskets, calabashes, and kumara washed ashore from the wreck of Arai-te-uru, a large sailing canoe. This legend tells of the rocky shoals that extend seaward from Shag Point as being the petrified hull of this wreck and a nearby rocky promontory as being the body of the canoe's captain.


The most striking aspect of the boulders is their unusually large size shape. Most are spherical or almost spherical, but a small proportion are slightly elongated parallel to the bedding plane of the mudstone that once enclosed them.

There are more places in the world where boulders are found.Neither the spherical to subspherical shape or large size of the Moeraki Boulders is unique to them. Virtually identical spherical boulders, called Koutu Boulders, are found on the beaches, in the cliffs, and beneath the surface inland of the shore of Hokianga Harbour, North Island, New Zealand, between Koutu and Kauwhare points. Like the Moeraki Boulders, the Koutu Boulders are large, reaching 3 metres (10 ft) in diameter, and almost spherical.



With thanks to Denise Nesbitt, who created ABC.For more interesting ABC posts click on the logo in the sidebar.
 This week we are looking for words beginning with O.

13 comments:

MelodyK said...

Ik ken het land niet van eigen bezoek maar wel van de tv.... en staat met stip op de 1e plek van mijn verlanglijstje als het gaat om de te bezoeken landen.....

Een vriendin van mij gaat de hele maand november daarheen met haar man op familiebezoek, stiekem ben ik best wel een beetje jaloers ;-)

Have a wonderful ABC-day / - week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ (abc-w-team)
http://melodymusic.nl/19-o/

photowannabe said...

Fascinating!!
Our world is just amazing.

Unknown said...

beautiful.

Photo Cache said...

NZ is oozing with pretty.

My ABC WEDNESDAY

Roger Owen Green said...

When Trump wins, maybe I will move there

Hildred said...

So many wonderful mysteries. Perhaps as they get unravelled we will find how these boulders were formed.

Reader Wil said...

Hi Roger! I don't blame you!

Reader Wil said...

DeeDee
The boulder information is very good.
Nice pictures

Anonymous said...

Great photos of the sea boulders and good information, too.

Powell River Books said...

Most interesting stone formations. Where we live there are glacial erratics, huge bounders dropped in place as the glaciers melted after the ice age. Some of them are the size of small houses. This of the force it took to move them. - Margy

Leslie: said...

That is sO fascinating! Sorry to be so late in commenting, but it's been quite a busy week!

Leslie
abcw team

Marja said...

Oh nice ones We haven't been there for a while but remember the children climbing on them

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

They're wonderful -- in the top photo they almost like beached animals ... easy to see how legends could be true!