Punakaiki

A small settlement on the West Coast of South Island, Punakaiki is known for the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes, a limestone formation where alternating layers of hard and soft rock have weathered into horizontal stacks resembling stacked pancakes. At high tide, sea swells compress into sea caves below and force jets of water upward through natural blowholes. The site sits within Paparoa National Park, which also encompasses the Paparoa Track Great Walk.