Things to do in Punakaiki & Paparoa National Park
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Punakaiki Tavern
Whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner, this pub does decent portions of honest food served in comfortable surrounds. Most nights the punters are a mix of local and international, so there's ample opportunity for conversation and friendly debate over the rules of pool.
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Fox River Tourist Cave
The Fox River Tourist Cave (three hours return) is open to amateur explorers. BYO torch and wear good walking shoes.
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Pancake Rocks & Blowholes
Punakaiki is famous for its fantastic Pancake Rocks and blowholes. Through a layering-weathering process called stylobedding, the Dolomite Point limestone has formed into what looks like piles of thick pancakes. When the tide is right (tide times are posted at the visitor information centre), the sea surges into caverns and booms menacingly through blowholes. See it on a windy and wild day and be reminded that Mother Nature really is the boss. An easy 15-minute walk loops from the highway out to the rocks and blowholes.
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Nature's Tours
Fresh-faced Zane of Nature's Tours brims with passion for the wilderness and successfully translates this into insightful hiking tours packed with stories with a dash of fun. Four-hour trips take in the Pancake Rocks, the Truman Track and Pororari River, with customised trips (two hours to two days) by arrangement.
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Punakaiki Crafts
Good coffee, cakes and slices share an interesting gallery showcasing local artists.
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Punakaiki Canoes
The Pororari River offers gentle, family-friendly paddling. This outfit rents canoes near the Pororari River bridge.
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Punakaiki Horse Treks
Punakaiki Horse Treks, based at Hydrangea Cottages, conducts four-legged outings in the Punakaiki Valley, with river crossings, finishing at the beach.
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Wild Coast Café
Located beside the visitor information centre is this tourist-swollen cafe, serving pancake stacks, good pies and ice creams. Those in need of a dub-dub-dub fix can jump on the internet here for $3 per hour.
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