Journeying down the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, you will undoubtedly pass through Paparoa National Park. The park is full of gorgeous coastlines and coastal forest environments, but it is most well known for the Pancake Rocks – located in the village of Punakaiki, about halfway between Westport and Greymouth.
This is an area of heavily eroded limestone where the sea meets the shoreline, including several areas with a distinct “stacked” look (where the place gets its name). There is a well-maintained (and fairly short) walking track which takes you to several good viewpoints of the rocks.
These rock formations took about 10,000 years to look this way, but in another 10,000 they will likely be gone – so see them while you can!
