Punakaiki is a small town on the edge of Paparoa National park. It is situated on the west coast of the south island, just a few miles north of Greymouth.

After leaving Franz Josef further south we arrived here, we stayed in these wonderful apartments overlooking the sea. It was lovely being so close to the sea, but had to keep the doors & windows shut as there were so many little midges waiting to bite.

Punakaiki is home to the wonderful pancake rocks.

Bands of limestone and softer mudstone have been worn away over thousands of years to create these layered formations. Hence the name pancake rocks. The walk ways around the rocks are fully accessible and can be seen at anytime. The formations created are so beautiful, it’s hard to imagine they are all natural.

You can see these Pancake rocks all along the coast and in the lookout areas created. They are definitely worth a visit.

Caverns have been formed over hundreds of thousands of years of erosion. And at high seas these underwater caverns become blowholes as the waves surge in. Under the huge pressure the water explodes out in a plume of spray. If you are lucky you may even witness this happen.

We left here and drove north to Nelson to catch our flight back up to Auckland.