Moeraki Boulders, South Island, New Zealand Jan 7, 2025

One of the world"s most curious rock displays can be found on Koekohe Beach in New Zealand. The Moeraki Boulders, some of which are over two metres in diameter, have been shaped by nature over millions of years. Each boulder started as a pebble on the seabed around 65 million years ago. Over time, layers of mud and silt built up around them, cemented together by calcite. Thanks to erosion and the movement of the sea, the boulders eventually emerged. According to local Māori legends, the Moeraki Boulders are remnants of eel baskets, calabashes and kūmara that washed ashore from the wreck of Āraiteuru, a great sailing canoe.

© Douglas Pearson/eStock Photo

palette

Today in History

What the heck is a distaff?
Jan 7, 2024Devils Marbles Conservation Reserve, Australia
Jan 7, 2026Old Rock Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 16, 2026Banff, Alberta, Canada
Jun 15, 2025Happy Fathers Day!
A ghost on the mountain
Will we be ready for the ‘big one?’
Nov 5, 2023Playa del Silencio, Spain
Oct 6, 2025Anshun Bridge, Chengdu, China
In the spotlight
Gateway to Latin America
Spring is the time for billing
This lake is no mirage
May 31, 2026Highway through Xitai Jinaier Lake, Qinghai Province, China
Feb 23, 2025Mount Fuji Day
Pick your paradise
Jul 19, 2026Barn swallows of different subspecies resting together
Aug 9, 2024Hang Sơn Đoòng, Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Vietnam
Oct 9, 2025Space Week isnt over yet!
Unbe-leaf-able
Oct 24, 2023Vijayadashami
Purple mountain majesties
Night outside the museum
One on land, a million in space
Oct 15, 2024Great wildebeest migration at Mara River, Kenya
Apr 13, 2025Songkran—Thai New Year
Pearl among the emeralds
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
The sun sets on the Valley of the Moon
Jun 14, 2024Peggys Cove Lighthouse, Canada
America’s backyard
Feb 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia