Waverley Arch (H20)

Waverley Beach, south of Patea at Waverley Town, New Zealand.

Waverley Highway sign showing the now-fallen arch (2013)

Waverley Beach overview

Ooops, the arch just collapsed…you missed it!

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7168917/Waverley-cave-collapses-into-sea

Hey, here’s a photo of the arch from its younger days–1943: http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/ObjectDetails.aspx?oid=126538

And this,,,http://www.waverleyway.co.nz/waverley-community/accommodation/waverley-beach-camping-grounds

GPS: -39.833686 174.636935

Waverley Arch, 2009 photo. The arch collapsed in June 2012, alas.

Waverley Arch, 2007 photo.

The Waverley Arch, 2009

GoogEarth Waverley arch, imagery date 2007

GoogEarth view of fallen Waverley arch, imagery date 8-27-2012, just two months after the arch suddenly collapsed.

GoogEarth view of fallen Waverley arch, imagery date 8-27-2012

A big wave crashing through the Waverley arch. This is why the arch's days were numberd--it took the full brunt of the stormy Taranaki coast.

A big wave crashing through the Waverley arch. This is why the arch’s days were numbered–it took the full brunt of the stormy Taranaki coast.

RIP Waverley Arch

The fallen Waverley Arch (Feb 2013 photo)

Regardless of the now-fallen arch, there’s still plenty of neat stuff to see on Waverley’s beach. Heading past the arch cove you can explore some black sand sea caves at low tide, or see down into two skylight holes from the bluffs above the beach:

At the Waverley arch carpark, watching big seas create a double blowhole show.

Cliffs and black sand

Waverley sea cave skylight #2

Sea Cave skylight #1

Then, on the northern stretches of Waverley Beach there are an array of ancient stumps scattered about the beach as well as a neat shelf of fossilized shells:

The mysterious stumps of Waverley’s nothern beach. These stumps wee entombed by volcanic mudflow, only to re-emerge when the sea ate away the cliff that the stumps were entombed in.