Paparoa National Park Park

Address: Paparoa National Park, West Coast Region, New Zealand

Website: https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/west-coast/places/paparoa-national-park/

Hours: Open year-round

Admission: Free entry to the national park (no general admission); some activities/guided tours may have fees

Paparoa National Park is a protected area on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island that conserves coastal karst landscapes, temperate rainforest and the Paparoa Range. The park was established in 1987 and is noted for its dramatic coastal features and accessible walking tracks.

The most visited attraction is the Pancake Rocks and blowholes at Punakaiki on the park’s western fringe, where layered limestone formations and sea-driven blowholes are reached by short boardwalks. Inland the park contains river gorges, caves and forested ranges with a network of day walks and multi-day tramping routes offering river scenery and native forest habitats.

Conservation efforts protect native bush, birdlife and unique limestone geomorphology while allowing managed visitor access on marked trails. The park’s mixture of easily reached coastal attractions and backcountry routes makes it popular with both day visitors and trampers.

Paparoa National Park lies along the central West Coast of the South Island, north of Greymouth and south of Westport, with road access from State Highway 6 and coastal settlements such as Punakaiki providing entry points.

• Establishment and purpose: Established as a national park in 1987, the park protects coastal karst landscapes, rainforest and ranges on the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island.
• Viewing tip: Punakaiki’s Pancake Rocks are best seen at high tide when blowhole action is most dramatic; boardwalks provide safe viewing close to the formations.

What to See#

• Pancake Rocks and blowholes: Pancake Rocks and the Punakaiki blowholes form a concentrated coastal limestone spectacle at the park’s western edge and are the park’s most visited feature.
• Pororari and short walks: Pororari River valley and several short walking tracks provide rainforest gorge scenery and accessible day walks through the park.

Paparoa National Park and the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki sit on New Zealand’s West Coast along State Highway 6. By car take SH6 from Greymouth north toward Westport - Punakaiki is approximately a 40-50 minute drive north of Greymouth (around 45 km) and is reached directly from the highway; the Pancake Rocks carpark is a short walk (5-10 minutes) to the main viewpoints.

InterCity and regional coach services also stop at Punakaiki from larger towns on the West Coast; once parked, many tracks and viewpoints are reached on foot.

• For Pancake Rocks and the blowholes at Dolomite Point, check the tide times: high tide and rough seas produce the most impressive blowhole activity, while low tide reveals the layered rock formations-plan arrival accordingly (and early to beat tour groups).
• Arrive early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the busiest coach-tours along SH6, and use the designated carpark/walkway at Punakaiki rather than stopping roadside to keep traffic flowing.
• Explore beyond the Pancake Rocks: quieter tracks such as the Pororari River walk and parts of the Paparoa Track offer dramatic limestone scenery with far fewer visitors than the main viewing platform.