Moeraki --My What Big Stones....

First stop today is Koekohe  Beach on the Otago coast to see the Moeraki boulders. These are giant spherical rocks that Maori legend says are the remains from the wreck of the Arai-te-uru, one of the large canoes that brought the original human inhabitants to the island.  Maori believed the eel baskets, calabashes, and sweet potatoes washed ashore;  the rocky banks reaching out to the sea were thought to be the petrified ship hull, and a nearby headland was assumed to be the ship’s captain.

Scientific analysis is less intriguing but does nothing to reduce the unique nature of these giant round rocks.  X-rays and electron probes reveal the boulders are made of mud, silt, and clay, held together by calcite (a major part of sedimentary rocks, often formed when a life form begins to decay). 

 It’s the calcite that gives the appearance of yellow seams. 

Calcite gives the appearance of yellow seams holding the boulder together

To give you an idea of the size of some of these boulders, here is a rare photo of the writer pushing (hah!) a boulder demonstrating its size and her need for vitamins and a good workout regimen.

The writer trying to move a boulder 

The Moeraki took about four million years to grow.  Our guide tells us the spherical shape has nothing to do with the erosive power of the sea, but that the sediment and ‘calcite cement’ just grew equally in every direction.  Some, like the one I’m trying (pretending?) to push are six feet or more in diameter

Geologists think the Moeraki formed in a layer of mudstone  far below the surface of the water, and about fifteen million years* ago that layer was lifted above sea level.  Gradually the breaking waves released the giant spheres from the rock and cliffs that held them.  You can still see some of the boulders ‘trapped’ in the cliffs.

A boulder still trapped in a cliff

The large seam-like calcite ‘cracks’ radiate from a hollow core lined with calcite crystals.  The inside of the boulder seems to be weaker than the outside, so when one does break down,  it looks almost as if collapsed, like the one below.

the 'inside' of a Moeraki boulder

The boulders appear on the beach both individually and in clusters like those in the photo below.

Over many years, people have managed to take some of these marvels for souvenirs, etch their initials for posterity, and otherwise tamper with the unique formations.  Since 1971 this area has been a legally protected scientific reserve to secure the unique Moeraki. 

This video--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMV3PH-wio8--  from http://www.moerakiboulders.com/ provides some good 

images and info on the boulders, as well as additional history.

*"'Fifteen million years ago"   I know I've said this many times throughout my blog, but when I am reminded of the vast history that came before me, I feel a sense of awe.  Just the number 'fifteen million' can do that to me.  Yeah, yeah, they're big round stones.  But what amazing stones they are.

Penguin Place Conservation Reserve (cont.)

I think all the build up to our tunnel exploration adds excitement to this excursion.  There’s no other way to explain how we react when we have our first view of  the canopy-like huts designed to simulate the kinds of homes/nests the penguins could have built in their original natural habitat.  And in the foreground---penguins!

penguin huts  (nest boxes)

We had just seen the penguin nest boxes when our hushed and cautious travels are rewarded by the arrival of Mitch.  At least our guide says his name is Mitch;  he also tells us  he knows where Mitch is going.  

We’re off again, silent trench runners.  We get to the next destination before Mitch, and when he arrives, he stops to preen. And preen.  And preen.   Apparently this is a critical activity the birds use to spread protective oil along their feathers.  Mitch preens for quite a while. I am starting to wonder if he might just be a little vain.  

Then along comes another penguin, and this one is carrying a branch; turns out it is for his mate who waits in a nest/box just off to the side.  I know that sentence may not sound exciting, even if you read it aloud with emotion.  But it is.  Really.  It’s the equivalent of making a downpayment on a first home.  Our penguin friend with the nice-sized twig bypasses preening Mitch and  proudly drops the twig at his mate’s feet.... sort of.  It’s somewhere near the nest, anyway..  Frankly, I am beginning to wonder if Mitch is really preening or if he’s is just a fussy father-in-law skeptically supervising the new nest construction.

In the video below, you can see the male penguin trudging  homeward.  You get a sense of what we humans are doing, trotting through a covered trench, fighting claustrophobia.   Here’s how Gary describes it: “Ok, For the viewers at home, we’ve been swallowed by an enormous penguin and I’m currently navigatin’ down its gullet.”

  

               Navigating the world of the yellow-eyed penguin   (if you have trouble seeing this video here, check        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UEPJXgwisg)

penguin home

penguin love

Mitch supervising (or preening?)

At the time we visit the Yellow-Eyed penguins, tours like the one we’ve been enjoying are the source of all funding for the conservation project. Between the land-owner’s contribution of the land, his efforts to re-grow native plants to help redevelop the penguins’ habitat, and the dedication of all those involved in the project (from trench diggers to guides) this is one very impressive conservation effort. 

Learn more about our adventure at this site:

http://www.penguinplace.co.nz/