Kōrero: Coastal erosion

Arched rock, Mercury Bay

Arched rock, Mercury Bay

This hand-coloured engraving was made by Sydney Parkinson, the artist on board Lieutenant James Cook’s Endeavour in 1769. It shows a fortified on top of an arched rock at Mercury Bay, on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula. Arches form when waves pound headlands from both sides. Over time, the waves follow lines of weakness in the rock, and carve out caves on either side of the headland. When the caves meet, a natural arch is produced. This arch has since collapsed.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PUBL-0037-24
Hand-coloured engraving by Sydney Parkinson

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Te tuhi tohutoro mō tēnei whārangi:

Willem de Lange, 'Coastal erosion - Rocky coasts', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/mi/artwork/6331/arched-rock-mercury-bay (accessed 29 March 2024)

He kōrero nā Willem de Lange, i tāngia i te 12 Jun 2006