Shag Point

Fancy a Shag? All traveling couples should make a short detour off the tourist path out to Shag Point for a little…seals, penguins, and… dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs! But first, if you see any Wicked vans a rockin’….well, don’t go a knockin’…it’s just windy here at Shag Point!

Shag Point is a super-interesting bit of coast, but not for the reason most travelers pop out for a quick look. The publicized DOC area at the actual Point overlooks a seal colony and a small beach where a few Yelloweyed penguins may come ashore in the late afternoons (if you visit near 5pm you might see some penguins hop up the path directly underneath the viewpoint). Also, there’s heaps of fur seals around.

Anyhow, the better reason to check-out Shag Pt is to see the incredible “Dinosaur Eggs”!! These “eggs” resemble Moeraki’s famed boulders and they sit on a tidal shelf along the Shag Pt road. The most fascinating thing about these “Katiki” boulders is that each one contains some sort of fossil bit in its center that the boulder built itself around, layer by layer (like the formation of a pearl around a grain of sand). Unlike at Moeraki, where the boulders sit on the beach, these “Katiki” boulders are imbedded into the tidal shelf with usually half of the sphere sticking-up out of the mudstone shelf. Get this though—inside one of these Katiki boulders was discovered NZ’s largest-ever fossil—an 8-meter Plesiosaur. The entire dinosaur skeleton was the “grain of sand” that the huge boulder formed around!! A sign at Shag Point describes this amazing fact…but typical of off-thebeaten- path NZ, it doesn’t tell you where either the Katiki boulders or this fossil are. Here’s the facts: in Dunedin, at the Otago Museum’s free “Southern Lands” exhibit, the 8m fossil is laid out on display – it’s absolutely amazing! (The entire museum display is also fabulous, especially the multi- Moa collection). The other fact is that you can’t see any of these “Katiki boulders” from Shag Pt where the interpretive sign is. You need to backtrack along the road because the dinosaur-egg tidal shelf is immediately below the row of seaside cottages.

You can only access the boulder shelf at half-tide or lower—at higher tides the shelf is covered by water. Once you find the public pathway down to the tidal bench you’ll be amazed at the odd variety of wave-beaten spheres popping out of the mudstone like pimples. Unlike the Moeraki boulders, these spheres form hollows in their centers which fill with sea water when the tide is out. How fun—these hollowed-out boulders form perfect little sun-warmed natural hot tubs! All mermaids and mermen should bring their swimsuits for a dip in the most unique tide pool you’ll ever see (suits are a must, as you are directly under the cottages).

To find the boulders: about 1km back from Shag Point, or 1.7km in from SH 1, look for house marked #183—it has a long brown/red fence and a red mailbox. On its west side is a small gate next to a green hedge. From here you’ll easily see down onto the boulder-strewn tidal platform. The best boulders are scattered to the left over a 2km stretch. The 20-min walk may take you two hours as you’ll want to examine every boulder! Careful of lounging Fur seals and make sure to look for the swaying kelp beds too.