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After a delicious fish and chips in Hokitika, we got back in the campervan and drove north along the coast to the Punakaiki sea stacks, more popularly known as the Pancake Rocks.

These intriguing rock formations can best be seen along the easy, 0.75-mile Pancake Rocks and Blowholes Track at Dolomite Point, near Punakaiki Village.

The short 0.75 track winds through native forest, with beautiful views of the Tasman Sea on its way to the “pancakes.”

I always find it more interesting to view rock formations when I have a better understanding as to how they got that way.

So, besides being beautiful to look at, these “pancakes” had a story to tell, and one that is 30 million years old.

Once upon a time, this entire area was submerged beneath the sea, where tiny fragments of marine creatures and plants accumulated on the seabed.

Millions of years of Immense water pressure caused these fragments to solidify, forming layers of alternating harder limestone and softer mudstone.

Over time, seismic activity lifted the limestone formations above sea level, where they were then exposed to millions of years of erosion from wind, rain, and waves.
The "pancake" effect is due to alternating layers of harder limestone and softer mudstone, which erode at different rates.

The End, or at least in our lifetimes. Who knows what they will look like in another 30 million years.

Along the walk there was also a Blowhole. Like the “pancakes,” blowholes are also created by the sea eroding the limestone, but in this case, they form vertical shafts.
When the tide is high and there is a large swell, the water is forced up through the shaft, creating a geyser-like spray.

After completing the walk, we drove on to the Punakaiki Beach Camp, where we would be staying for the night.

Talk about location!! We’ve had some very scenic campgrounds before, but this one was right on Punakaiki Beach with surfers and sea stacks.