Koutu Boulders

Bigger and bolder than Moeraki Boulders and maybe a little easier to find than the set on the other side of the harbour, here are the Koutu Boulders, long recognised as the largest 'spherical concretions' in New Zealand.

The big round rocks pepper the coastline here at Koutu for quite a stretch, so there are several ways to access them AT LOW TIDE. The main carpark is on Waione Road, from there you can easily access some boulders. The other, more direct way to a visual boulder feast is via Cabbage Tree Bay, but you would need to walk down a roughish track.

About 1km of the coastline has boulders upon it, and they are picturesque. Their geological origins are 70 million years old and borne of favourable conditions for minerals to create formations within softer sandstone, later exposed by erosion. The wild variations in measurements have the biggest one here measured at between three and 14 metres across and there has been a debate raised as to whether these are the biggest visible spherical concretions in the world. The word concretion comes from Latin and means “grown together”

If you prefer commercial and easy access to your boulder viewing, try Wairere Farm, it is up the harbour and inland a bit.

Image Credits: Bernard Spragg and WT -Tramp