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About Punakaiki
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Punakaiki is a small community on the West Coast of the
South Island, between
Westport and Greymouth. Punakaiki is the gateway to the dramatic limestone country of the
Paparoa
National Park. The
Punakaiki
Township has a visitor centre, souvenir shop, café and tearooms, craft shop and plenty of car parking. |
Transportation and Accommodation
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You can drive on your own or take public transportation such as intercity coach services or Tranz Alpine train (to Greymouth). There are many tour services provided by private tour operators from
Christchurch.
Accommodation in Punakaiki is extensive, ranging from campgrounds and backpackers, through to bed and breakfasts, farm-stays, self-contained units, motels, apartments and motor-inns.
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Visitor Attractions
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The Pancake Rocks are a very popular tourist goal at Dolomite Point south of the main village. The Pancake Rocks are a heavily eroded limestone area where the sea bursts though a number of vertical blowholes during high tides. Together with the 'pancake'-layering of the limestone (created by immense pressure on alternating hard and soft layers of marine creatures and plant sediments), these form the main attraction of the area. The Pancake Rocks are presently explorable by a number of walkways winding through the rock formations. A 20-minute loop walk explores this limestone landscape of pancake-shaped rock formations, blowholes and surge pools. |
Tips for Travelers
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The entrance and exit to the pancake cake park is adjacent to the express way, hence care must taken from the speeding vehicles. Also, the western coast is raining most of the time, making the track along the pancake rocks slippery. Hence it is advised not to stray beyond the safety barriers. Some of the sections of the walkway are not easily accessible to the elderly and physically challenged. Always carry an umbrella while visiting the west coast of
South Island. |
Traveler Resources
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