Stand inside a section through a volcano at Karekare and look around.
The rugged coastline in these parts is stunning.
Volcanic construction and erosional destruction have shaped and reshaped this landscape over millions of years.
The North Island of New Zealand sits on a shaky plate boundary while Auckland is the only city in the world built on an active volcanic field. The twin geological hazards are very real.
Muriwai, Rocks and Birds and plants and things.
If you find your head in need of a wobble, any of Auckland’s West Coast beaches will do the trick.
Te Henga Pillow lavas
The pillow lavas at Te Henga, part 1. Landside.
It began with a submarine landslide about 15 million years ago when a huge lahar cascaded down the slopes of an ancient volcano. The volcanic slurry of pebbles and boulders came to rest not far from the lifeguard station at the north end of the beach.
Otakamiro point Muriwai, the land that time remembered.
Our property in Kumeu stands on land once submerged 2 kilometres below the sea 20 million years ago.
Then, a deepening sea (Waitemata Basin) collected sediments washed from massive marine volcanoes in the west and a coastline to the North composed mainly of durable greywacke rocks.
Collins Bay with pillow lavas and a large block of conglomerate.
The south end of Collins Bay and the Conglomerate Block’s Story.
Cobbles, boulders, and gravel forming the conglomerate block in the picture are on a journey that began in the early Miocene.