Ohira Bay is best known for its magnificent volcanic basalt columns aging around 80-85 million years old. The formation of these vertical columns is similar to those at Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The Chatham Island sit on the Chatham Rise, a large, relatively shallowly submerged (no more than 1,000 metres deep)#160;reach of the Zealandia continent. The Chatham Islands are 800 kilometres east of New Zealand's South Island in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are generally hilly with the coasts a varied mixture including cliffs and sand dunes, beaches and lagoons. Chatham and Pitt are the only inhabited islands, with the remaining smaller islands being conservation reserves with access restricted or prohibited. The livelihoods of the inhabitants depend mainly on agriculture, fishing and tourism.