Chatham Islands

Blind Jim's Beach to Waipapa Creek Eocene fauna. Map: CH; Classification: B2. Significance: Some of richest Eocene faunas in New Zealand. Limestone composed of large foraminifera of genus Asterocyclina. Oldest larger foraminiferal locality (Asterocyclina limestone) in New Zealand. Rich shark tooth locality.

Cascade Gorge carbonates. Map: CH; Classification: C2. Significance: An occurrence of unusual carbonates.

Chatham Island schist. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: One of the best and most easily accessible exposures of Chatham Island schist.

Chatham Island southern cliffs. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Spectacularly high cliffs form the imposing southern coast of Chatham Island. Several streams form impressive waterfalls over the cliffs.

Chatham Islands petroglyphs. Map: CH; Classification: B1. Significance: Best preserved example of Moriori rock carving.

Hakepa plug, Pitt Island. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Well exposed trachyte plug.

Henga limestone pinnacles, Chatham Island. Map: CH; Classification: C2. Significance: One of the best examples of karstose limestone on Chatham Island. Limestones of this age are rare on mainland New Zealand.

Korako limburgite plug. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Well exposed plug of Northern Volcanics forming prominent conical hill.

Mangere Island breccia with hornblende xenoliths. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Breccia containing mantle and crustal xenoliths. Hornblende xenoliths are of importance in relating the magmatic history of the rocks and of the crust beneath the Chathams.

Momoe-a-toa Pliocene shellbed and basalt with hornblende xenoliths. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Well exposed continuous exposure of basalt and tuff, with associated richly fossiliferous beds - one of the richest Pliocene macrofossil fauna in New Zealand. Basalt contains mantle xenoliths and megacrysts, including hornblende which is of importance in relating the magmatic history of the rocks and of the crust beneath northern Chatham Island.

Motuhou Point mushroom rock, Chatham Island. Map: CH; Classification: B1. Significance: An unusual mushroom-shaped erosion feature, rare throughout New Zealand.

Motutapu Point Whenuatara Tuff. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Diverse Pliocene molluscan fauna.

Mt Dieffenbach plug. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Prominent conical hill formed by erosion of a volcanic plug.

North Chatham peat swamp. Map: CH; Classification: B2. Significance: One of New Zealand's best examples of a peat swamp.

Ohira Bay columnar jointed basalt. Map: CH; Classification: B2. Significance: One of the best examples in New Zealand of columnar jointed basalt forming a New Zealand version of the Giant’s Causeway. Excellent xenoliths of olivine.

Owenga pillow lava and wave-cut platform, Chatham Island. Map: CH; Classification: A1. Significance: Best three dimensional example in New Zealand of pillow lava, and only known occurrence in the world of lava stalactites inside pillow lava tubes. Pillow lava well displayed on spectacular wave-cut platform.

Point Weeding Eocene fossils, Waikarupi. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Diverse Waipawan molluscan, echinoid and brachiopod fauna.

Rangiauria Breccia islands, Pitt Strait. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Conspicuous steep sided islands in volcanic breccia: Mangere, Little Mangere, The Castle and Sail Rock.

Rangiauria Breccia pipes, Pitt Island. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Magnificently exposed pipes (diatremes) of volcanic breccia (comparable with Kakanui Breccia).

Red Bluff Eocene fossils. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Diverse Waipawan molluscan, echinoid and brachiopod fauna in palagonitic tuff.

Rockyside Bay unconformity and Eocene hardground fauna. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Well exposed Cretaceous Paleocene unconformity, sediments with very good fossil age control. Overlain by unique, in-situ Waipawan hardground fauna of molluscs, corals and barnacles. Three units, two extremely rich. Richest Red Bluff tuff fauna.

Tahatika Creek fossiliferous opaline-cemented grit. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: A Paleocene unit with a most unusual lithology and vertebrate bone fossils.

Te Awatapu rock slump. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: An excellent example of large scale slumping with waterfalls over the distinctive crown scarp.

Te Pukaha Quaternary moorland peat. Map: CH; Classification: B2. Significance: Preserves vegetational and climatic changes that occurred during the late Quaternary.

Te Whanga Lagoon, Chatham Island. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: An unusually large lagoon - a good example of shore face deposition.

The Bluff Eocene fossils, near Flowerpot Harbour. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Diverse Waipawan molluscan fauna.

The Horns columnar jointing. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Excellent columnar jointing on a basaltic plug.

Tioriori Eocene fossils. Map: CH; Classification: B2. Significance: Unusual early Eocene molluscan fauna.

Titirangi Point Pliocene macrofauna. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Diverse shallow water macrofauna of late Pliocene age.

Waihere Bay Cretaceous and Paleogene sediments and fossils, Pitt Island. Map: CH; Classification: B3. Significance: Most complete middle to late Cretaceous sequence in Chatham Island area; excellent preservation; low rank; many sedimentary features. Details evidence of Gondwana history not found in New Zealand. Middle Cretaceous lacustrine-fluvial section is the only exposure of middle Cretacesous sediments on the Chatham Rise. Overlain by Red Bluff Tuff with superb slump bedding structures involving 4-5 m of bedding. Capped by unique in situ Waipawan (Early Eocene) hardground fauna of mollusca, corals and barnacles.

Waihere Bay faults, Pitt Island. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: The best exposed faults and tilted fault blocks in the Chatham Islands.

Waihere Bay rock slumps, Pitt Island. Map: CH; Classification: C3. Significance: Very well marked crown scarp and slumped ground.