Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Blowholes

Strange layered limestone stacks at Dolomite Point that look like piles of pancakes, formed over 30 million years from layers of limestone and soft mudstone. At high tide, with a westerly swell, the sea surges into the caves beneath them and bursts up through blowholes with a boom.

An easy 20-minute loop walk from the road leads around the rocks, and much of it is wheelchair accessible. Check the tide times at the visitor centre across the road and try to be there at high tide. The rocks are in Paparoa National Park, which has lovely walks up the Pororari River and the Truman Track to a wild beach. The Paparoa Track, one of the newest Great Walks, ends nearby.