The Tongaporutu Round boulders.

A visual journey…

My first introduction to these seemingly obscure round boulders on the coastline north of New Plymouth on the west coast of the North Island, New Zealand was from a guide book which was full of interesting spots to visit in out of the way places. In this case finding the best way to get to these boulders was a bit of a mission let alone trying to find the best tides to explore this rugged coastline which has high tide reaching all the way to the cliff face and more with a decent swell running. And it’s not just boulders but the whole coastline which has treasures such as archways and cave formations as well as obscure rock formations from the constant erosion of the coastline.

It became a mission of sorts to get to see and image these elusive round creations. I was to find out that getting to them was a real exercise in tide and sunset planning. The lowest tides at sunset time and that proved to be about once a year…thats if you get decent light at late afternoon and not a storm running thru. So here are the images to date that i have been fortunate to capture. More missions are planned…would probably pay to subscribe to the odd newsletter’s that i will produce to watch for any latest developments.

The object’s of my adventuring. The semi-submerged round boulders of Tongaporutu at sunset

Low tide creates opportunities for reflections of the many archways along the beach.

This can be a dangerous beach if you get the tides wrong as the high tide reaches part way up the cliff face so the is really nowhere to go so some planning around tide times is essential. It’s also a plus if it’s near sunset in the evening bringing the chances of great light.

Where did all those boulders go…?

If you look at the first image you see the boulders at sunset with the same cliff face on the left and Mount Taranaki in the distance but with this image the boulders are totally covered by the shifting sand bank but you can see humps and hollows in the sand to give a clue where they are. This is the thing about these round rocks. They are not always visible…you just have to hope after trekking down the beach for a kilometre or two that they are uncovered when you get there but that is not always the case. So that makes the images you do get of them all the more special.

The boulders un-covered one sunset with Mount Taranaki in the background with a portrait stye image.

It is very satisfying to have a return visit where they are uncovered with calm low tide waters and Mount Taranaki with a cap of snow seemed to also cap it all off.

A round boulder nursery maybe…?

It just seemed like this was a boulder nursery as they are eroded out of the cliff face by the erosion of the cliff by the many storms that attack the foreshore. The pattern in the boulder really stood out as well as the algae growing on the cliff from water seeping out of the cliff keeping it constantly damp.

Algae growth and a unusual rock formation at the base of the cliff.

Where there is water dripping down the cliff face it’s not unusual to see this type of algae growth which is a stark contrast against the grey cliff face as well as a piece of harder material gradually being eroded out of the cliff wall as the storms and waves constantly knaw away at it When making your way along the beach near the cliff it pays to be aware of any possible collapses that can happen with-out warning. The contrast of the vivid green against the grey/black sand and the grey cliff is very contrasting and not easily missed when wandering down the beach.

A outstanding archway feature along the beach which is resisting time and tide.

Time will eventually wear away at this archway feature but in the mean-time it projects a imposing figure on the beach at Tongaporutu which you just cannot miss.

Remains of a collapsed archway.

Tenements of cliff face and old archways abound along this coastline as the erosion is constant with storms and large swells which reach all the way to the base of the cliff face. This constant action of wave and tide makes this coastline an ever-changing visual paradise for the intrepid photographer. You can see more archways further down the coastline ready to explore…

Foot prints in the sand leading to Mount Taranaki at sunset.

Sunset over the surf at Tongaporutu looking south towards Mount Taranaki in the distance.

The archway at the head of the beach that you go around to get down the beach.

If you can’t get around this archway you are not going down the beach. Time and tide has also scoured out under the archway and its really deep there which is a real trap so be really careful. This beach must be respected for the dangers but that is balanced of against the amazing boulders and archways to be seen. Definitely not for casual wandering. You must check tides and weather conditions as you can easily become trapped past this pinch point. Seems that places of beauty have their traps also. This beach is not accessed from the carpark to the 3 sisters…it’s hidden away in plain sight.

Hope you enjoyed this visual wander along this amazing coastline.

Like one of these images for your place. Lets talk…