Michael A. Stecker
mstecker@dslextreme.com


 

Just south of Buller on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island is Punakaiki (Maori for "a spring of food").  These amazing structures also referred to as the "Pancake Rocks" consist of layers of limestone eroded by the force of the surf over years.  The rocks are part of the relatively new Paparoa National Park which runs from rugged mountaintops to a spectacular coastline, encompassing 30,000 hectares.  The park is based on a karst limestone landscapes full of secret caves, streams that disappear and reappear via holes in the ground, and awesome river gorges.