Directions

The pancake rocks and blowholes are at Dolomite Point, Punakaiki. Punakaiki lies on State Highway 6 between Westport (50 minutes) and Greymouth (40 minutes). The entrance to the Dolomite Point walkway is located opposite the Paparoa National Park Visitors Centre and I-site.
This walk is suitable for all ages and fitness levels. The track is wheelchair accessible.

Pancake Rocks & Blowholes

Dolomite Point is a must see of things to do on the West Coast. This short walk takes you around the famous pancake rocks and blowholes.

Biggest crowd-pleaser on the West Coast is at Dolomite Point where a short walk takes you around the famous Pancake Rocks and Blowholes.

At the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes at Punakaiki, horizontal sheets of limestone and mudstone have been chiseled by rain and sea into curious stacks, ridges and chasms. Best time to be impressed is around high tide and with a big running sea, when big waves rolling off the Tasman Sea surge up into the undercut cavities and erupt like booming geysers from the chimney like fissures.

Starting just opposite the Paparoa National Park Visitor Centre and i-site, the sealed loop track takes around 20 minutes and is suitable for wheelchairs and buggies. It begins in lush rainforest interspersed with nikau palms but gives way to dense flax as the blowholes are approached. Your first sight of the Pancake Rocks may startle you; these peculiar rock formations are layered like stacks of thin pancakes and in places form huge columns.  The rocks were formed 30 million years ago by intense pressure on alternating hard and soft layers of marine creatures and plant sediments.

The first blowhole is the Sudden Sound Blowhole named for the noise it makes when the sea surges through.

The walk then continues to a junction where the track divides to loop around the blowholes and the pancake rocks. If you need wheelchair access turn right at this point and take the path around the other side of the surge pool

The surge pool is called the Devil’s Cauldron and at high tide it lives up to its name as the waves gush in from the sea channel and break against the rock sides of the ‘cauldron’, getting bigger and higher as the tides rise. After this it is across the bridge to the Chimney Pot Blowhole which is named for the seawater that shoots through the air like smoke from the narrow rock channel. Next is Putai – the largest blowhole – where on stormy days the seawater swells upwards from the rocks in a giant wall of spray. 

The view from here up and down the rugged coastline is spectacular. On clear, still days the views north (to Perpendicular Point) and south (as far as Mt Cook) are magnificent and below there are often Hectors dolphins playing at the base of the cliffs. At high tide during stormy weather the atmosphere is very different with the seawater forced into the holes and cracks and then erupting out in explosions of spray and mist, the display is unforgettable.

The track then goes down some rock steps and around the surge pool where it meets up with the other path. The way back is just as scenic as the way in and the views of the Paparoa ranges and the rainforest seem very lush after the open seascape views. You may see weka darting amongst the trees; these cheeky birds are iconic locals in this area.

There are good information signs at many of the look out points.

Take care to stay on the path as it is dangerous to stray away from it. 

Plan and prepare

Because the return track suddenly emerges on the highway make sure children are not running ahead. A lifebelt near Sudden Sound Blowhole reminds us it is very dangerous to stray from the track and to take special care of children keep to the formed path and do not go beyond safety barriers.

Dogs and other domestic animals are not permitted in this area.

What to expect on a short walk:

• Easy walking for up to an hour
• Track is well formed, with an even surface. There may be steps or slopes
• Suitable for people of most abilities and fi tness
• Stream and rivers crossings are bridged
• Walking shoes required