TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — New Taipei City’s Yehliu Geopark on Tuesday (Jan. 24) closed most of its viewing areas due to strong waves, much to visitors’ disappointment.

The operator of the park where Taiwan’s iconic “Queen’s Head” is located told Taiwan News that it has closed the majority of the park except for some parts near the entrance area. Though the park is free to visitors due to the closures, visitors may only go as far as the area containing replicas of the park’s most famous rocks.

As most people in Taiwan are currently enjoying their extended Lunar New Year holidays, there were many visitors at the park, and they were “disappointed” not to have the chance to see it in full. Liberty Times cited the park’s general manager Tang Chin-hui (湯錦惠) as saying the strength of the wind and rain on Tuesday was almost as powerful as that of a typhoon, and waves were so large that they reached the Queen’s Head.

Seawater covers walkways at the Yehliu Geopark. (Yehliu Geopark photo)

She added that once the tides ebb and the waves no longer reach the Queen’s Head, the park will reopen to tourists.

The Queen’s Head, a natural rock formation that looks like a woman’s side profile, is one of the most famous attractions in Taiwan. For decades, the public has worried that as the rock’s “neck” thins due to erosion, the “head” will eventually snap off.

(North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area image)

The Queen's Head in 2022. (Taiwan News, Stephanie Chiang photo)