New Zealand's South Island - Part 7: Moeraki Boulders

This next trip was a bit of a long drive.  My destination was the Moeraki Boulders, although I did make a few stops on the way.  For this particular drive, I started out on the Gibbston Highway, which takes you through some winery areas, and is really pretty. As you drive, you also go past the Kawarau Gorge, which is a famous place in New Zealand for bungy jumping and that sort of thing. There is also a dam along the way, which is a really pretty photo spot.

A lookout point

These two were taken at the dam area

The next place I stopped was in Cromwell. It's selling point is its orchards, and it also has a big lake as well. I stopped at the Jackson Orchards and got myself some fruit for the trip, and also some fresh fruit ice cream. (You chose the fruit and then they put it in a machine that mixes it with the ice cream). They also offered orchard tours, and I considered doing that as well, but it would have been nearly an hour to wait, and since I had a fairly long way to drive, I didn't do that.

After you get of Cromwell, you end up on a road, that takes you through some hilly farmland.  Not many photo stops here.  There were also very few people on this road.  2 and a half hours later, I arrived.  As you get closer to where the boulders are, the road ends up next to the eastern coast, and you get some very pretty ocean views.  At the boulders site, there were two areas to park, up top by the cafe, or down at the bottom by the beach. I, of course, chose the beach. Partly because it was the beach, but also partly because it didn't cost anything to park there.

After getting out, you walk along the beach for a little bit and then you get to the boulders, which are interestingly almost perfectly spherical . (Except for the broken ones). It seems to have become a bit of a photo, and there were lots of people there taking selfies with the rocks. They are also a part of the Vanished World Trail, which is apparently a path to take if you are interested in geological features. Something to check out next time?  The boulders themselves were actually formed underwater (which explains their shape), but I'll let you read more about it on the sign below (you can click on it to make it come up larger...) ↓

Photo Time!!

The beach area... 

The first one I could see!

The one at the back looks like an egg! 

Some of them get broken, or eroded down...

They are maybe bigger than you expect (see the people?)

Looks like it hatched!

After spending some time there, I went up to the cafe for some food (which was ridiculously expensive, even for New Zealand -- a bowl of soup was about $20).

After a bit more time, I got back in the car and headed back towards Queenstown, as I had a bit of an early morning the next day...

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New Zealand trip posts: | Part 1: Christchurch | Part 2: Queenstown | Part 3: Glenorchy and Paradise | Part 4: Wanaka | Part 5: Hikes | Part 6: Invercargill | Part 7: Moeraki Boulders | Part 8: Milford Sound
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