The Pororari River Track follows dark, slow water into a steep limestone valley just north of the village. It is an easy way to see the greener side of Punakaiki: nikau palms, bush birds, mossy cliffs, and the river sliding below.
You can walk in and turn around whenever you have had enough, or use it as part of a longer loop with the Inland Pack Track. It also serves as the Punakaiki end of the Paparoa Track, so the first kilometres have a proper sense of entering the park rather than just sampling it.