Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand Aug 25, 2020

Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand

This portion of New Zealand"s South Island coast features plenty of strange geology. The Pancake Rocks, so named due to the stacked, flat layers of sediment and stone, were once underwater. As the Tasman Sea receded, the unusual rocks became the Punakaiki region"s shore. Erosion created openings along the cliffs called "blowholes." When the tide comes crashing in, water sprays up through the openings, and if you"re standing too close, you"ll get soaked.

© Maurizio Rellini/Sime/eStock Photo

palette

Today in History

Aug 25, 2018Happy trails for the 21st century
Aug 25, 2019A desert arts pop-up, just popped up
Aug 25, 2021Happy anniversary to the National Park Service!
Aug 25, 2022National Park Service Founders Day
Aug 25, 2023National Park Service anniversary
Aug 25, 2024National Park Service Founders Day
Aug 25, 2025Yellowstone for the National Park Services birthday

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 2, 2023Gemsbok in Namibian sand dunes
Jul 26, 2024Summer Olympics begin in Paris
Dec 14, 2022National Audubon Society s Christmas Bird Count
Oct 9, 2022Earth Science Week
Jun 25, 2023Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
Aug 24, 2024Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument anniversary
Sep 23, 2025A keel-billed toucan in Costa Rica
Sep 25, 2024Sequoia National Parks 134th anniversary
Aug 21, 2025A wheatear in Peak District National Park, England
Nov 25, 2025Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy
Aug 24, 2019Get the bear facts
Aug 3, 2022Red-necked grebes during breeding season
Feb 14, 2022Maldives
Apr 25, 2024World Penguin Day
Aug 10, 2018Assembling the Smithsonian
Sep 29, 2024West Cornwall Covered Bridge, Connecticut
Jan 26, 2018Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park
Sep 12, 2025In the Red Sea for World Dolphin Day
Jan 13, 2024Road to Hana, Maui, Hawaii
Oct 17, 2020Fog above the forest
Feb 9, 2018Speed skaters in the Gangneung Oval, Pyeongchang, South Korea
Jul 14, 2018Does this shark have an Irish accent?
Dec 10, 2019Congratulations, 2019 Nobel Prize laureates!
May 20, 2018Who doesn’t love a ‘Puppy’?
May 25, 2018Cheers! It’s National Wine Day
Jan 10, 2018Weaverbird nests at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve
Apr 1, 2024April Fools Day
Jan 21, 2020Observing a squirrelly day
Jan 30, 2024Aýna, Albacete, Spain
Oct 19, 2018Portland celebrates its bounty