Archway Islands, Wharariki Beach, South Island, New Zealand Feb 6, 2025

Welcome to the Archway Islands—a group of four rock stacks at Wharariki Beach in New Zealand. The islands are a result of wind and coastal erosion that have shaped the rocks into arches, caves and stacks. The rocks, which are around 55–65 million years old, are made of quartz- and feldspar-rich sandstones and pebbly conglomerates. Rising from the waters of the Tasman Sea, these rugged islets became well known around the world after they were featured in a Windows 10 desktop screensaver in 2015. At low tide, curious wanderers can explore caves and rock pools and often spot lounging seals.

© Francesco Vaninetti/AWL/plainpicture

palette

Today in History

Feb 6, 2024Lake Tahoe

More Desktop Wallpapers:

May 25, 2024Aït Benhaddou, Morocco
Sep 29, 2025Rainbow houses, Netherlands
May 15, 2024The Blue City of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Oct 14, 2025Village of Oia, Santorini, Greece
Oct 6, 2025Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
Aug 12, 2025African elephants
Sep 12, 2023North Sea at sunset, Norddorf, Germany
Aug 22, 2025Rolling hills of the Palouse, Washington, United States
Aug 25, 2024Glacier National Park, Montana
May 4, 2024The ruins of an ancient monastery, Skellig Michael, Ireland
Nov 7, 2024Vancouver Coastal Sea wolves
Sep 9, 2024Iguazu Falls at the border of Argentina and Brazil
Dec 18, 2023Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA
Oct 5, 2024Tsavo East National Park, Kenya
Dec 9, 2023Guanacos, Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina
Oct 25, 2024Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France
Oct 6, 2023Taughannock Falls State Park, New York, USA
Jan 7, 2025Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand
Dec 24, 2023Town Hall Square, Tartu, Estonia
Nov 5, 2024Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
Jul 6, 2025Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes in Death Valley National Park, United States
Jun 30, 2024Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Feb 16, 2025Humpback whale mother and calf
Sep 14, 2024Rapa Nui National Park, Easter Island, Chile
Mar 4, 2024Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
Apr 10, 2025Red fox cubs near their den
Jan 26, 2025European beech forest, Belgium
Sep 2, 2025Camel thorn trees, Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia
Feb 21, 2024Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
Jan 16, 2024Lake Louise, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada