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Sunrise at the Moeraki Boulders

Moeraki Boulders at sunrise near Oamaru New Zealand

The Moeraki Boulders are another iconic New Zealand photography location. These huge balls of rock (officially "calcite concretions") are scattered along the beach at Moeraki, not too far south of Oamaru in Otago. The boulders are surprisingly huge and can weigh several tonnes. Moeraki is on the East Coast of the South Island, with uninterrupted ocean to the horizon, so it can be an amazing spot for sunrise. The boulders are not accessible at high tide. Best at mid-tide for photos with water rushing past the boulders, but also pretty amazing at low tide also (and no worries about wet feet). 

This photo was taken on the last morning of an autumn photography trip I did a few years back. We had had little luck with sunrises and sunsets over the course of the week, but this morning completely made up for it. The colourful skies lasted ages, going from dark pink, to bright pink and then orange and red. I still wonder if I will ever be lucky enough to see skies like this again here. This boulder is particularly popular. Although broken, it always retains a wee pool of ocean, which reflected the amazing sky and made for an interesting focal point. 

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