Moeraki Boulders, Moeraki, Otago – New Zealand

Sometimes what seems like a run of bad luck is actually the guiding hand of the powers that be, beckoning you on toward more interesting things you would have missed otherwise. The day ‘Almighty Jaffas’ was taken, I was originally planning on exploring the mountains in New Zealand. However, that was also one of those trips where the weather just really wasn’t on my side, so after seeing that the tides of Koekohe Beach might be kinder to me, I decided I’d venture out to Moeraki and try my luck there instead. That turned out to be a wonderful decision.

The eerily round boulders of Moeraki are like hidden treasure for those who know of their existence. When the tides are high, they’re perfectly and completely hidden. If you had no idea where you were, you’d never know they were there. It’s only when the tides go out again that they reveal themselves in all their surreal glory, like wonderful treats to reward patient seekers of beauty. In fact, that was exactly what the boulders reminded me of – sweet, orange-coated Jaffa chocolates.

As the sunrise began, it turned the sky into the most incredible citrus-coloured canvas. Shades of candied lemon bled pleasantly into expanses of silky lavender, delicate peach, and blushing grapefruit. The clouds overhead looked like melted rainbow sherbet, their colours intensifying with each passing moment as the sun continued to rise higher in the sky overhead. The sands were smooth but for a few gentle ripples, lit to perfection by the early morning light. The Moeraki Boulders themselves lay nestled in a row, their surfaces glowing the most inviting shade of creamy orange. They really did look like giant, enchanted Jaffas and they couldn’t have seemed any sweeter if they had been. For a moment, I felt as if I’d wandered right into a giant’s wonderland.