Explore a limestone landscape of pancake-shaped rock formations, blowholes and surge pools on this short, paved walk that's great for children.
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4.7/5 · 2,449 reviews
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Mar 15, 2025
If you are traveling the West Coast this is a must to do. The track is clearly marked and you have two choices a longer walk and a shorter walk.We chose the shorter walk and enjoyed the amazing scene…Full review by Julie A
Mar 1, 2025
Great views of the coast from here. To see the blow holes in action you should aim for high tide. Geologists will love this place. I was fascinated by the long seaweed which reminded me of the squidd…Full review by Livingprague
Feb 9, 2025
It’s a very short walk (on well manicured paths) to the pancake rocks, which are an amazing feat of nature. But once you’ve seen one stack, the rest are much the same. However, the addition of the …Full review by BobSki-UK
Greetings, thank you for your post. Is it necessary to go on a tour of these items or can you just hike on your own to them? thank you, Nicole
A:
Nicole, just park up (free), cross the road (carefully, as the traffic can be fairly fast by NZ standards), and stroll round at your own pace. High tide times is a good tip.
Hi, I'm interested at visiting the Pancake Rocks with my grandparents, which one of them will be using a wheelchair and another can only walk at a very slow pace. From what I seen from online pictures and video, there's a very well-built path leading to the Pancake Rocks, may I know if that's the case and is there any steps along the way?
A:
The track is wheelchair accessible! there are a few steps towards the end of the loop past the viewpoint, but you could just turn around and go back the way you came!
I'd like to take the intercity to punakaiki, stay in town and spend a few days walking around the national park and sea shore. Without a car, can I get into the national park? It looks like there are no shuttles.
A:
I had a car when I visited area. It might be best to contact Paparoa National Park Visitor Information Centre (google for details) and check with them for options.
I'm sorry, but I suspect what you saw were Weka, rather than Kiwi. They look similar in colour & size, but Kiwi are rarely seen and only come out at night. Thanks for the review though.
A:
Your are correct. We never saw kiwi, but saw weka many times. Kiwi are pretty rare and not seen much during the daylight.
Hi, I am on a very tight schedule. When would be the best time to visit the pancake rocks- morning or afternoon ?
A:
The best time to visit is an hour either side of high tide as that is when the blowhole is most spectacular. I suggest you do some research on tide times before your visit.
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