Nature began this work of art about 30 million years ago. Over thousands of years, alternating layers of small marine creatures and sand became buried and compressed on the ocean floor. This created areas with multiple layers of hard limestone and softer sandstone. Earthquake activity then lifted the ocean floor high and dry, and those slow motion artists - the rain and the wind - began to erode the softer sandstone. The outcome is cliffs and ravines with hundreds of horizontal slices along their vertical faces, like huge stacks of pancakes.
In many places, deep inside the cliffs, narrow vertical air shafts created by the rain met with horizontal tunnels created by the pounding ocean. Today, around high tide, the ocean swells rush headlong through ever-narrowing tunnels and force large amounts of water and compressed air to race upward through the vertical shafts. The result is a hissing, heaving, thumping countryside that rhythmically emits geyser-like plumes of salt water. In a strong westerly swell, this creation of nature is a very impressive sight.
Highlights;
Pancake Rocks and blowholes
Adventure - rafting, caving, canoeing
Paparoa Track
New Zealand holidays including Punakaiki
13 Nights from £3675pp
14 Nights from Call Us
13 Nights from £7700pp
22 Nights from £10190pp
Below is a selection of Punakaiki Hotels we feature in our itineraries.
At TripsBeyond there are a number of ways you can contact us meaning that all you have to do is choose the option which is most convenient to you.
0800 270 0009
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Enquire
At TripsBeyond there are a number of ways you can contact us meaning that all you have to do is choose the option which is most convenient to you.
0800 270 0009
Make An Enquiry
Request A Callback
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