Waihi Beach Hawera

"A large land uplifted high" is a quote attributed to explorer Abel Tasman, upon first sight of Aotearoa/New Zealand on his 1642 Pacific voyage. Though it is probable he may have been referring to the appearance of the Southern Alps from the Westland coast, this statement most literally applies to the eroded cliffs of South Taranaki.

Here at Waihi Beach, Hawera, tectonic lift has created great cliffs from the former seafloor, over millions of years, and, in turn, the ocean is surely eroding them away again.

The geological origins of this part of the North Island/Te Ika a Maui are on display for visitors to Waihi Beach, which is a short drive from Hawera. Walking carefully north along the beach brings into view the stratified sea floor of (3.5) millions of years past, with fossils, and layers of different types of sediment and rock exposed and crumbling onto the ever-changing shore

Image Credits:Krzystof Golik