Near Shipwreck Beach a 0.5-mile trail leads directly inland to the Pōāiwa petroglyphs – a cluster of more than 20 fragile carvings on dense basalt-lava boulders marked by a sign reading 'Cultural/Historical Site Boundary'. Some locals say that the simple figures here date back more than a century. An interpretive board shows you all the carvings to search out in the area.
Markings include animals, people and what appears to be a 'birdman' (a man with a filled-in triangular body and spikes or hair coming out of his head). Curiously, this figure originates from Easter Island and could be part of a much bigger story. There are also the remains of ancient house sites. The trail can be hard to find, due to windswept rocks and sand all over the path.
