The Moeraki Boulders are so called because of their location close to the small fishing village of the same name. The boulders are located on a stretch of Koekohe Beach, and are unusually large and unusually spherical. Some of the boulders stand in isolation, but the majority are grouped in small clusters. They weigh several tons, and range in height from about 3 to 6.5 feet. Some are nearly 10 feet (3 metres) in diameter.
Scholars believe that the boulders were formed on the sea bed approximately 60 million years ago. It is not known exactly why the boulders have formed as they have, but naturally they have become the stuff of legend. A Maori explanation has it that the boulders are the remains of a large sailing canoe called the Araiteru, which was shipwrecked nearby.