Pancake Rocks New Zealand, South Island

Estimated to have been formed close to 30 million years ago, the Pancake Rocks near Punakaiki have attracted large crowds from geology enthusiasts to families wanting to look at these curious protrusions. The Pancake rocks were created through the immense oceanic pressure layering and cementing small fragments of dead marine plants and creatures together on the seabed located about 2 kilometers from the surface. Eventually, the shifting of the continental plates pushed these formations to the surface of eastern New Zealand and have since become a famous geological feature of Dolomite Point.

Once you have had your fill of the Pancake walk (and their powerful blow holes), then you can continue on a longer trek through the Pororari River Track located just past Punakaiki. This walk will take you on a 3-hour loop past Pororari River Track, Inland Pack Track, back through Waikori Road were you’ll eventually end up back at Punakaiki. The total distance of the loop is around 11 km, and there are a lot of pretty sights to see and stops along the way if you need to catch your breath. You can expect to see a limestone gorge lining a clean, deep river dotted with large boulders.

Most of the path is level, except for one steep hill, and a suspension bridge along the Inland pack Track. Both the walk and the sight are fairly accessible. The trek can be done quite easily by a mildly fit person, and is suitable for families as well.