Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki, about 50 kilometres south of Westport, are the most visited natural attraction on New Zealand's West Coast — and one of the more extraordinary geological formations in the country. The limestone has been eroded into distinct horizontal layers that look precisely like stacked pancakes, rising from the sea in formations up to fifteen metres tall along a dramatic stretch of coastline.
The walkway from the Punakaiki visitor centre loops through the rock formations in about 30 minutes. At high tide in rough weather, the blowholes between the rocks fire jets of spray into the air with considerable force. Check the tide times before you visit: the blowholes are inactive at low tide. The surrounding Paparoa National Park has further walking tracks into the limestone karst country inland.