Karitane is a unique 2-4 km beach located 50km north of Dunedin that has many coastal landforms formed by geological and coastal processes. The peninsula contains volcanic and sedimentary rocks and features such as mother-child rock stacks formed from collapsed sea caves, blowholes formed from collapsed sea caves below the waterline, and a sand spit formed by longshore drift. The sedimentary cliffs show layered deposits that were uplifted over time.