.LynEve

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Another day ending in the 60 million year life of these stones. Some of you were interested in them so here is yet another picture - this time showing the now collapsed ones lying in pieces. . . . "The Moeraki Boulders are grey-coloured septarian concretions, which have been eroded out by wave action from the cliffs of soft, black mudstone that back the beach. In places, partially exposed concretions can be seen in the cliffs. They originally formed on the sea floor when the mudstone was accumulating during the early Tertiary period some 60 million years ago. The largest concretions are traversed by cracks, filled by yellow calcite. In some the upper part is worn away; only a shell remains, looking like discarded segments of orange peel. The concretions weigh several tons and are up to 12 ft in circumference." .....And now here they stand, until the force of the sea and the elements finaly crack them open, leaving their remains on the beach alongside their still-standing companions. . . . . Then there is the explanation I prefer - According to Maori legend, the origin of the boulders dates from the loss of the Arai-te-uru, one of the large sailing canoes that came from distant Hawaiki. On her quest south for precious greenstone, the canoe was wrecked. The reef which today extends seawards is the canoe's petrified hull and strewn along the beach are the boulders which represent the eel baskets, calabashes, and kumaras washed ashore from the wreck. The name Moeraki (Moerangi) means “drowsy day”.. .Panasonic DMC-FZ7.. Thank you for taking a look.Any comments are most welcome and always appreciated.