Punakaiki Marine Reserve, what to do & see — trip guide

West Coast Marine Reserves, New Zealand @NZ Pocket Guide

Highlights:

Walk through sub-tropical lowland forest to witness an extraordinary landscape of natural sculptured, layered rocks.
Explore the wild meets west ocean beaches
Relax in the cafe and watch the world go by
A must stop destination. A pocket sized reserve packing a very big punch in an extraordinary marine landscape as well as on the edge of Paparoa National Park.

Getting there

State Highway 6 45 km from Greymouth

Weather

Weather Punakaiki tomorrow hourly

Best time to visit (Pancake Rocks reserve only)

Year round

Punakaiki Marine Reserve

Punakaiki Marine Reserve surrounds the pancake rocks and blowholes at Dolomite Point, one of the most distinctive landscapes of the West Coast. It covers much of the coastline at the edge of Paparoa National Park. Limestone weathering over the millennium created rock pancaked layers. The sea is not done yet, constant water pressure is eroding the rock faces forming new geological forms for visitors to marvel at. The tidal movement surges in rock pools forming a caldron where the rocks are sculptured with the violent upward wave action. Capping off the spectacular natural show of force is the sonic boom of jetting sprays of seawater metres into the air through blowholes. The ocean pressure value released is visually captivating. Although the reserve is small the exhilaration of watching nature’s display is a must do highway stop.

Walk

Directly from roadside car park is the entrance to the 1.5km loop walk around pancake rocks. Parts of the walk are wheelchair accessible. There is signage denoting areas that are flat. The walk commences with an attractive stroll through sub-tropical lowland forest opening up to panoramic views of the coast and raised boardwalks above the geological displays. There are a number of steps carved into the rock faces, there are wide handrails to assist going up or down stairs.