Moeraki Boulders Beach

Great family outing. Kids enjoyed the rock formations. There are also animals(alpaca, deer and pigs) that you can feed with $2.

When tourism becomes crazy! You know when you turn up somewhere and there’s multiple bus stop signs outside it’s time to turn around and leave. And they charge you to get onto a free beach to see some rocks. Which you can basically see on any other beach in NZ and the world! There’s gift shops, a cafe, an alpaca feeding area, they really have hyped this place up to be something. Crazy! Luckily I was driving this way anyway but to think that some people come over from the west coast all the way to see this is bonkers! Tourism overhype to the max!

Great boulders in an otherwise boulder free beach. Some have broken open, and you can see crystal deposits in the centre. The short walk to the beach is short but fairly steep, an alternative route is via the shrubbery and down some steps. The gift shop is beautiful, with lots of interesting items, not obviously tourist fodder, and the prices vary, but a lovely place with items for everyone.

Unique natural stone boulders that are so round it confuses me. Access the beach either from the cafe through a private walk way for a 2$ donation (don’t be petty and just pay if you park here, we are literally marching through someone’s property and using their car park, fee is for maintenance) or you can just park at the public access car park 500m further south for free.

Im sure it would have been beautiful but i didnt like that a public beach is privatised and monetised, in a way. Its only NZD2 to access the beach, its not alot.. and yes, the money is to maintain the walkway and etc... just doesnt sit right with me.

A little underwhelming as there were a few scattered boulders half buried. Only cool thing I felt were the boulders that were cracked open. It shows you the interesting formation of these boulders. Based off Wikipedia The Moeraki Boulders are concretions created by the cementation of the Paleocene mudstone of the Moeraki Formation, from which they have been exhumed by coastal erosion. The main body of the boulders started forming in what was then marine mud, near the surface of the Paleocene seafloor.

Beautiful place. There’s a public carpark with a 5 minute walk down to the beach. Alternatively, you can park by the café for a shorter stroll and view trail (a small NZ$2 donation supports the boardwalk)

Beautiful spot that's well worth a visit! Although the boulders weren’t as big as I expected, they’re still fascinating and make for great photo opportunities. There's a really good café nearby and plenty of free parking, which is a bonus. Last time we visited, the boulders were clearly visible, but this time many were buried under the sand-maybe due to the season, not entirely sure. Still, a unique and enjoyable stop along the coast!

The parking area here was pretty easy to find off the road and the walk along the shoreline is about 10-15mins one-way. The boulders seemed to be much more impressive in pictures than up close and there were a surprising number of people on the stretch of beach that houses the boulders and if you want your pic at the big one that looks like it was the model for the Death Star, you will definitely have to wait your turn. It was storming when I went, so I was even more surprised that there were as many people as there were on the beach, but even in the rain, it was an enjoyable walk along the beach. The tide was coming in, so it was fun to go and splash a bit in the waves seeing as I was wet anyway. There are some smaller boulders out in the actual water, so you have to wade out to a couple if the tide is coming in. I think there were not as many boulders as I have seen pictured and many of them were broken, cracked or in halves. It is a fun little pitstop if you are passing by on your way somewhere, but I definitely do not think this is a destination stop in and of itself.

Fun to see! Fun to see these boulders, giant Geodes, most are whole and some are split open. Not many though, so don't expect too much! Worth a stop if in the area as not found in many places around the world! They can be accessed from the beach cafe on the hill $2 each to use their path or drive further along and then walk back. Cafe and shop looked nice although didn't stay!