Elephant Rocks

Elephant Rocks are a scatter of pale limestone boulders standing out of grazed paddock in the Waitaki Valley - rounded, hollowed and stacked, some the size of a house, weathered out of a bed of Oligocene limestone laid down when this was warm shallow sea about twenty-five million years ago. The rock is packed with fossil shells and, in this valley more widely, the bones of ancient whales, dolphins and penguins, which is why the area is a serious palaeontological district as well as a curiosity. Access is straightforward and unusual: a gate off the road straight into the paddock, no fee, no facilities, and sheep grazing among the boulders. It is popular with boulderers. The site appeared as Aslan's Camp in a Narnia film, which brings some visitors, though nothing was left behind. Close the gates, keep dogs out and give stock room.

What you'll find

• The limestone boulders - rounded and hollowed, out of open paddock.
• The fossil shells - visible in the rock surfaces.
• The free access - a gate off the road, no fee, no facilities.
• The bouldering - a well-used climbing area.

When to go

October to April. Early and late light shows the shapes best. It is exposed with no shade.

Things to know

It is working farmland - close gates, keep clear of stock, no dogs. No toilets, water or shelter. Nothing remains of the film set. The road is narrow.

Nearby

The Vanished World fossil centre is at Duntroon; the Waitaki Valley runs to Oamaru.

Key facts