Fossil Hunting at Kai Iwi Beach, Whanganui

The Kai Iwi cliffs are famous for their fossils. Just a short stroll from Kai Iwi Beach Holiday Park and about 15 minutes from Whanganui, the beach and cliffs expose ancient sedimentary layers full of marine fossils, the same place studied by scientists from all around the world.

What's in the cliffs

The cliffs at Kai Iwi are made of soft Pleistocene sedimentary rock: siltstone with thin layers of sand and shell beds laid down under the sea. Look for shell fossils in the shell bed layers and in pieces that have fallen onto the beach.

Free fossil talk & guided hunt for groups

Staying with a group? If you'd like, the park gives a free fossil talk and leads a guided fossil hunt at the cliffs. It's available for clubs, reunions and other groups, and it's a favourite with school camps. See our groups & clubs page, our school camps page, or contact us to arrange it.

Stay safe at the cliffs

• Check the tides and weather before you go. There is often very little beach at high tide.
• The cliffs are steep, soft and prone to slips. Keep well back from the base and never climb them.
• Don't dig into the cliffs. Look on the beach for fossils that have already come down.
• Keep children close and go with an adult.

Make a weekend of it

Pitch a tent or park your campervan at our Whanganui camping sites, or stay in one of our cabins.