List of rock formations of New Zealand

This is a list of rock formations in New Zealand based on their aesthetic and cultural importance. New Zealand's geomorphology is formed through an interaction between uplift, erosion and the underlying rock type. Most of the notable examples listed here are formed by selective erosion, for example waves and rivers can more easily erode sandstone than basalt and can also exploit joints or faults in the rock-mass.[1] Some rocks like limestone (Waitomo Caves) and marble (Takaka Hill) can also be dissolved in water which forms a distinctive karst geomorpholohy. Notable rock formations are also formed through constructive processes such as geothermal and volcanic deposits, and sedimentary deposition.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

North Island formations
Photo Formation Region Type Summary Location
 Cape Kidnappers Hawke's Bay Wave erosion, sea stack 39.647473°S 177.086699°E / -39.647473; 177.086699
 Castle Craig Rock Waikato Terrestrial erosion 38°15′35″S 174°49′15″E
 Castlepoint Wellington, Wairarapa Wave erosion 40°53′55″S 176°13′14″E
 Cathedral Cove Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula Wave erosion, cave, sea stack 36°49′42″S 175°47′24″E
 The Dome of Saint Paul Northland, Whangaroa Terrestrial erosion, igneous rock 35.050731°S 173.749623°E / -35.050731; 173.749623
 Hole in the Rock Northland, Piercy Island Wave erosion, Natural arch Limestone island with a natural arch. Significant tourist attraction. 35.165437°S 174.339061°E / -35.165437; 174.339061
 Horeke basalts, Wairere Boulders Northland Terrestrial erosion, igneous rock Lava flow broken up as lower strata removed by erosion. Notable corrugation on basalt boulders.[2] 35.374687°S 173.596301°E / -35.374687; 173.596301
 Kupe's Sail Wellington, Wairarapa, Palliser Bay A dipping bed of slightly more resistant rock protruding above weaker rock. 41.60448°N 175.26616°E / 41.60448; 175.26616
 Koutu Boulders Northland Wave erosion 35.458139°S 173.414767°E / -35.458139; 173.414767
 Lion Rock Auckland, Piha Wave erosion, sea stack Prominent islet with shear cliffs of volcanic conglomerate 36.953685°S 174.465880°E / -36.953685; 174.465880
 Mangapohue Natural Bridge Waikato Terrestrial erosion, karst 38.261043°S 174.899301°E / -38.261043; 174.899301
 Natural Vase Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula Wave erosion
Orakei Korako (including Golden Fleece Terrace and Rainbow Terrace) Bay of Plenty Geothermal Geothermal terraces formed by minerals precipitating as the water cools. 38°28′25″S 176°08′55″E
 Pink and White Terraces Bay of Plenty, Mount Tarawera Geothermal Significant geothermal terraces formed by minerals precipitating as the water cools.These terraces were thought destroyed by the 1886 eruption of Mount Tarawera, however they may have just been buried.[3] 38°15′40″S 176°25′50″E
 The Pinnacles Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula Terrestrial erosion, volcanic rock Andesite lava spires preserved when the weaker neighboring pyroclastic rocks were eroded.[4] 37.043223°S 175.726249°E / -37.043223; 175.726249
 Pinnacle Ridge and Cathedral Rocks Wanganui-Manawatu, Mount Ruapehu Terrestrial erosion, volcanic rock Rock spires of andesite near summit of Mount Ruapehu. 39°14′30″S 175°34′00″E
 Poor Knights Islands Northland Wave erosion, natural arch 35°30′S 174°45′E
 Putangirua Pinnacles Wellington, Wairarapa Terrestrial erosion, sedimentary rock 41°27′05″S 175°13′20″E
Te Kaukau Point Wellington, Wairarapa Wave erosion 41°34′20″S 175°25′50″E
Three Sisters and Elephant Rock[5] Taranaki Wave erosion, sea stacks and natural arch Notable for their well documented partial destruction from wave erosion. 38.819608°S 174.580815°E / -38.819608; 174.580815
 Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley (including Cathedral Rocks and Warbrick Terrace) Bay of Plenty Geothermal 38°17′10″S 176°23′15″E
 Waro Limestone Reserve Northland, Hikurangi Terrestrial erosion, sedimentary rock 35°35′15″S 174°17′10″E
 Young Nick's Head Gisborne Wave erosion 38°45′25″S 177°57′50″E

South Island formations
Photo Formation Region Type Summary Location
 Blackhead Otago, Dunedin Wave erosion, volcanic rock and sea stacks Rock spires with basaltic columnar jointing 45°55′50″S 170°26′00″E
 Boulder Bank Nelson Wave erosion and deposition 41°14′S 173°18′E
 Castle Hill Canterbury Terrestrial erosion, sedimentary rock 43°13′45″S 171°43′00″E
 Cathedral Caves Otago, The Catlins Wave erosion, cave 46°36′30″S 169°22′50″E
 Cook's Head Rock Otago Wave erosion 46°12′05″S 170°04′50″E
 Curio Bay Southland, The Catlins Wave erosion Petrified forest[2] 46°39′45″S 169°05′55″E
 Elephant Rocks Otago, Waitaki Valley Terrestrial erosion, sedimentary rock 44°53′35″S 170°39′20″E
 Farewell Spit Tasman Wave erosion and deposition 40°31′S 172°52′E
 Huriawa Peninsula Otago, Karitane Wave erosion, natural arch and sea stacks 45°38′30″S 170°40′00″E
 Kaitorete Spit Canterbury Wave erosion and deposition 43°50′S 172°33′E
 Knight's Point West Coast Wave erosion, sea stacks Cliff and sea stacks formed by combination of uplift on the Alpine Fault and high erosion.[6] 43°42′45″S 169°13′30″E
 Lovers Leap and The Chasm[7] Otago, Sandymount Wave erosion, natural arch 45.893014°S 170.678977°E / -45.893014; 170.678977
 Moeraki Boulders Otago Wave erosion Stong calcite concreations eroded out of a weak marine mudstone. Boulders also present in the cliff face and nearby streams.[2] 45°20′55″S 170°49′40″E
 Nevis Bluff Otago, Kawarau Valley Seismic uplift, river erosion Steep mica schist cliff face. 45°02′15″S 168°59′50″E
 Nugget Point Otago, The Catlins Wave erosion, sea stacks Several sea stacks at the end of a prominent headland. The near vertical sandstone bedding creating steep planar cliffs. 46°26′50″S 169°48′55″E
Obelisk (Kopuwai)[8] Otago, Old Man Range Freeze thaw weathering 45°20′31″S 169°12′36″E
 The Old Man of the Buller West Coast, Buller River 41°57′00″S 172°17′50″E
 Omarama Clay Cliffs Otago, Ahuriri Valley Glacial erosion 44°29′20″S 169°52′00″E
 Ōnawe Peninsula Canterbury, Banks Peninsula Wave erosion 43°46′30″S 172°55′30″E
 Oparara Basin Arches West Coast Terrestrial erosion, natural arch Ground water erosion along the boundary of the basement granite and overlying limestone has formed caves and archers. 41°08′45″S 172°11′15″E
 The Organ Pipes Otago, Dunedin Terrestrial erosion, volcanic rock Rock spire with basaltic columnar jointing 45°48′30″S 170°34′00″E
 Pancake Rocks West Coast, Punakaiki Wave erosion, natural arch A coastal karst geomorphology. The apparent bedding within the limestone may be due to pressure solution of calcite during burial.[2] 42°06′50″S 171°19′35″E
 Truman Track[9] West Coast, Punakaiki Wave erosion Sea cliffs in sandstone and mudstone with a raised shore platform. 42.091935°S 171.338737°E / -42.091935; 171.338737
 Te Anau glacial erratic Southland, Te Anau Glacial deposition A Geological Reserve. During a past glacial advance this boulder was carried c. 50 km from the Fiordland mountains.[10] 45.524522°S 167.810208°E / -45.524522; 167.810208
 The Pyramids Otago, Dunedin Wave erosion, seas stack 45°49′25″S 170°43′15″E
 Rapanui (Shag Rock) Canterbury, Christchurch Wave erosion, Sea Stack Sea stack partially destroyed in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. 43°33′50″S 172°45′00″E
 Split Apple Rock Tasman Wave erosion, igneous rock A spheroidal granite block divided on a joint.[11] 41°01′05″S 173°01′15″E
 Tunnel Beach Otago, Dunedin Wave erosion, Natural arch Sandstone sea cliffs and natural bridge, with man made tunnel. 45°55′15″S 170°27′30″E
 Wharariki Beach Tasman Wave erosion, natural arch 40.502624°S 172.678686°E / -40.502624; 172.678686

Maps
Young Nick's Head
Cathedral Cove
Dome of Saint Paul
Waro Limestone Reserve
Putangirua Pinnacles
Cape Kidnappers
Pink and White Terraces
Lion Rock
Wairere Boulders
Hole in the Rock
Koutu Boulders
Kupe's Sail
Orakei Korako
Pinnacle Ridge
Castle Craig Rock & Mangapohue Natural Bridge
Te Kaukau Point
Waimangu Valley
The Pinnacles
Three Sisters and Elephant Rock
Castlepoint
Poor Knights Islands
Blackhead & Tunnel Beach
Kaitorete Spit
Old Man of the Buller
Huriawa Pen.
Split Apple Rock
Oparara River Arches
Rapanui Rock
Pancake Rocks & Trueman Track
Boulder Bank
Moeraki Boulders
Pyramids & Lovers Leap
Organ Pipes
Onawe Pen.
Nugget Pt.
Omarama Clay Cliffs
Cook's Head
Elephant Rocks
Curio Bay
Cathedral Caves
Castle Hill
Te Anau glacial erratic
Wharariki Beach
Farewell Spit
Knights Point
Obelisk

See also

References
  1. Cotton, Charles Andrew (1949). Geomorphology: an introduction to the study of landforms. Wiley.
  2. Thornton, Jocelyn (2009). The Field Guide to New Zealand Geology: An Introduction to Rocks, Minerals and Fossils. Penguin. ISBN 9780143202592.
  3. Bunn and Nolden, Rex and Sascha (December 2016). "Te Tarata and Te Otukapuarangi: Reverse engineering Hochstetter's Lake Rotomahana Survey to map the Pink and White Terrace locations". Journal of New Zealand Studies. NS23: 37–53.
  4. William), Hayward, Bruce W. (Bruce (1971). The geology and eruptive history of the Table Mountain region, Coromandel Peninsula (Thesis). ResearchSpace@Auckland.
  5. "Memory is all that's left of Elephant Rock, now trunk-less". Stuff. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  6. Cooper, Alan F.; Kostro, Fabian (2006). "A tectonically uplifted marine shoreline deposit, Knights Point, Westland, New Zealand". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics. 49 (2): 203–216. doi:10.1080/00288306.2006.9515160. ISSN 0028-8306. S2CID 128895227.
  7. "Hidden Otago". hiddenotago.co.nz. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  8. "History and culture". www.doc.govt.nz. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  9. Wilson, Kerry-Jayne (2013). West Coast Walking: A Naturalist's Guide. Canterbury University Press. ISBN 9781927145425.
  10. Hayward, Bruce; Hayward, Bruce; Taonga, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage Te Manatu. "Glacial erratic at Te Anau". Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  11. "Split Apple Rock: Sitting pretty just off..." The Earth Story. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
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