The Moeraki Boulders are giant spherical stones, seen scattered

along a beach on New Zealand’s Otago coast. They stand up to two metres high and weigh several tonnes. According to Maori legend, the Moeraki Boulders are gourds that washed ashore when one of their canoes was wrecked hundreds of years ago. Scientists believe the boulders to be calcite concretions which were formed 65 million years ago. There are over 50 boulders on the beach. 19th century photographs show that there were even more Moeraki Boulders than there are today. It’s thought that people took the smaller rocks as souvenirs. To prevent this from happening again, the boulders are now under legal protection meaning that it’s prohibited for people to remove, damage or graffiti them. So if you come to see them, take only photos☺