About Punakaiki, West Coast, New Zealand

newzealandmap.gif: Punakaiki is the gateway to the dramatic limestone country of the Paparoa National Park. It lies halfway between Greymouth and Westport on one of the most spectacular coastal highways in New Zealand.

The Punakaiki township has a Department of Conservation visitor centre, café and tearooms, craft shop and plenty of car parking. The surrounding area is scattered with accommodation - upmarket hotel apartments, boutique bed & breakfasts, self-catering motel units, a campervan and camping ground, and backpacker accommodation.

Tourism activities include canoe adventures, horse trekking, caving and guided tours to name just a few. Punakaiki has many colourful local crafts people - jewellers, carvers, painters and potters.

Within a few minutes drive of the Punakaiki township are many walks for various fitness levels - take a 10 minute stroll along the beach or equip yourself for a overnight trip into the heart of the National Park.

The Pancake Rocks and Blowholes

The Pancake Rocks that Punakaiki is famous for, are limestone formations that began forming 30 million years ago, when lime-rich fragments of dead marine creatures were deposited on the seabed, then overlaid by weaker layers of soft mud and clay.

pancakerocks.jpg:

The seabed was raised above sealevel by earthquakes to form the coastal cliffs and coastline. The sea, wind and rain have since etched out the soft layers to form the unusual rock formations we see today.

When conditions are right, heavy ocean swells thunder into the caverns beneath the rocks and huge water spouts blast skywards through the blowholes in a truly spectacular sight.

The Coast Road

Punakaiki is located near the centre of the "Coast Road", one of the most spectacular coastal drives in the world. The roads are well sealed all the way. To allow time to stop and enjoy some of the walks and coastal views, we recommend allowing much longer than the drive times given in most travel guides.

Click here to download the Punakaiki Visitors' Guide PDF

Westland Black Petrel

This highly endangered seabird can be viewed in the winter months, at dusk, from the beach south of Punakaiki.

The Westland Black Petrel colony as a Specially Protected Area. This is the highest level of protection given to land in New Zealand, and people are only able to be there with a permit and lead by a DOC ranger.

Unlike most birds, they breed in winter. The colony is empty during the summer peak visitor season.

Rather than having nests, they are ground burrowing, like mutton birds, and have the same Maori name = taiko.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Hector's Dolphin or White-headed Dolphin

The world's rarest marine dolphin, the Hector's Dolphin is one of the world's smallest dolphins, as well as one of the rarest with less than 2,500 individuals remaining. Nevertheless, because it lives fairly cose inshore it can sometimes be spotted from the coastal headlands around Punakaiki.

Read more on Wikipedia.

Other wildlife in and around Punakaiki:

Weta
Seals
Penguins
Kiwi
Shags
Turns
Weka
Pigeons