Punakaiki Pancake Rocks

West Coast Rocks. Pancake Rocks.

I love rocks. So why would I not love stopping at a place called Pancake Rocks? Road tripping the West Coast means a lot of time in the car, so we definitely needed to find a few places to get out and stretch our legs. Lucky for us, New Zealand is chock full of amazing landscapes, and we will never tire of them.

Sitting just outside Punakaiki on the edge of the Paparoa National Park is Dolomite Point. Here we found a short walk around amazing limestone formations and coastal blowholes. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The DOC says these rocks were formed 30 million years ago from dead marine creatures and sea plants, then pushed above sea level by seismic activity and eventually eroded away by rain, wind and sea.

Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Hike: Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Walk
Distance: 1.1 km / 0.68 mile loop
Time: 20 minutes to 1 hour