Offbeat Traveler: Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand

On New Zealand’s South Island about 50 miles northeast of Dunedin, the Moeraki Boulders rest on Koekohe Beach like stranded sea creatures. These largely spherical stones formed on the ocean floor about 60 million years ago as calcite minerals fused balls of mud together. They ended up on the beach after eroding from nearby sandstone cliffs, where some boulders still remain encased.

--Jason La, Los Angeles Times

The boulders can be as large as nine feet in diameter and weigh several tons.   (Ross Land / Getty Images)

The boulders are harder near their surface, so the insides of some have worn away over time, leaving hollow shells.   (Ross Land / Getty Images)