Traveling through the South Island in New Zealand we came across this collection of massive boulders carved by the wind.

Castle Hill Boulders - Arthurs Pass visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Castle Hill Boulders' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Canterbury.

Panorama of Castle Hill boulders, a geological feature near to Castle Hill Village and Arthur's Pass midway along Highway 73, 100Km west of Christchurch in South Island, New Zealand.

Named for resembling the ruins of an old stone castle, these grey limestone boulders ranging in size from one to fifty meters high are strewn around the countryside in two locations, Homestead and Flock Hill. These limestone rock formations are the water eroded remnants of limestone formed during the Oligocene age 30-40 million years ago when much of present day New Zealand was covered by the sea.

Cited by climbing sites as being unique in the world, this draws climbers from all over the world to go "bouldering", a bare-hand climbing style often not involving the use of any equipment, relying on skill and improvisation and with it's own code of ethics for practice. Although this remains private land, permission and certification for climbing may be obtained from the local land manager.

Castle Hill limestone was used as a facade on the Cathedral at Christchurch. A more recent claim to fame was being the scenic setting for the climax of the 2005 film, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch and Wardrobe". Scenes from the films "Lord of the Rings" were also filmed here too and have drawn in visitors to this amazingly beautiful area.