PUNAKAIKI, NEW ZEALAND

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Punakaiki is best known for Pancake Rocks but it is not a one-trick pony. Located on the edge of Paparoa National Park, this luxuriant rainforest area is home to plenty of scenic walking trails that can keep you busy for days. The drive along the coast is mesmerizing and reminiscent of Jurassic Park!

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Attractions:

  • Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Walk: Visit during high tide to see the blowholes in full action! The walk itself takes no longer than 20 minutes and is quite stress-free.

  • Trek Through Paparoa National Park: Below are my favorites trails in the area:

    • Truman Track: An easy, 30-minute round-trip hike ending with a lovely view of the coast.

    • Punakaiki Cavern: Just a 10-minute walk from Pancake Rocks, this cave trail is fairly hidden. You can walk about 15 minutes in before needing to turn around. Be sure to bring a torch/flashlight so you can see where you are going!

    • Pororari River Tracks: There are three separate hikes in this area. Pororari River Track is 4.5 miles (7km) round-trip and takes 1.5 hours to hike. Punakaiki-Pororari Loop is 7 miles (11km) and takes 3.5 hours to hike. Pororari River-Bullock Creek Road is 9 miles (15km) and takes 5-6 hours to hike. All are very pretty!

    • Paparoa Track: One of New Zealand’s “10 Great Walks”, this trail through lush rainforest is 34 miles (55km) one-way and takes 3 days to complete! There are no campsites on this trek, but there are three huts with bunk-beds along the way - Ces Clarke (16 bunks), Moonlight Tops (20 bunks), and Pororari (20 bunks).

    • More trails can be found here.

  • Other things to check out: Woodpecker Bay, Fox River Car Park and Fox Cave Track, and Punakaiki Canoes.

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Accommodation:

  • Te Nikau Retreat: This retreat center makes the rainforest feel like home and is the coolest hostel I stayed at in New Zealand! It is a 15-minute (private) walk from the beach and a 40-minute walk from Pancake Rocks. Enjoy!

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Transportation:

Punakaiki is so small that it does not have a bus station; all buses below pick up and drop off in front of Pancake Rocks Café.

  • Fox Glacier is 3.5 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 5 hours (indirect) and costs $38 NZD ($27 USD).

  • Nelson is 3.5 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 4.5 hours and costs $44 NZD ($32 USD).

  • Christchurch is 4 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 6 hours (indirect) and costs $153 NZD ($110 USD).

  • Lake Tekapo is 5.5 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 10 hours (indirect) and costs $209 NZD ($151 USD).

  • Mount Cook Village is 7 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 12 hours (indirect) and costs $382 NZD ($237 USD).

  • Wanaka is 7 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 12 hours (indirect) and costs $93 NZD ($67 USD).

  • Queenstown is 8 hours by car from Punakaiki. The bus ride is 13 hours (indirect) and costs $107 NZD ($77 USD).

The closest airport to Punakaiki is Hokitika Airport (HKK), 83km (52 miles) away. The taxi ride is 1.5 hours and costs $125-$175 NZD ($90-$126 USD), which is more expensive than renting a car. That said, I do not recommend flying into HKK. Instead, fly into Christchurch and then take a bus to Punakaiki. It will be cheaper and more efficient.

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Thank you, Jackie, for the great shot of me at Pancake Rocks!