New Zealand – Paparoa National Park
The Paparoa National Park is about 300 square kilometers and is located on the west coast of New Zealand’s South Island. In the area of the coast, the landscape of Paparoa National Park is dominated by limestone. Because of erosion, bizarre rock formations can be found in the park. Deep canyons and many caves have formed. The Pancake Rocks and the Paparoa Karst are probably the most famous.
At our stop between Greymouth and Westport in the Paparoa National Park at Punakaiki, we marvel at the Pancake Rocks. The bizarre sedimentary rock with its different layers looks like stacked pancakes. In strong surf, the water of the Tasman Sea can shoot up in so-called blow holes like geysers.
The sedimentary rocks in the coastal area are subject to the influence of the surf and the strong erosion, which exposed the different layers of the formation. This is especially impressive with the Pancake Rocks. Elsewhere in a narrow cut in the coastal area caused by the strong surf. Often we see the coast offshore small rocky islands, which will probably disappear completely from the surf and erosion in some years. In this way, the landscape changes constantly.