Punakaiki sits on a short stretch of the West Coast where the Paparoa Range comes down almost to the sea, and the combination of green rainforest, limestone cliffs and Tasman breakers makes it one of the most photographed places on State Highway 6. The village itself is tiny, with a handful of cafes, a visitor centre and some accommodation, but it has one very big attraction, the Pancake Rocks, a set of limestone formations that look like piles of stacked pancakes, shaped over thousands of years from layers of soft and hard sediment eroded by sea and rain.
The rocks are the best known feature, and the blowholes beside them are even more dramatic. When a big swell comes in at high tide, the sea forces itself into the caves under the rocks and shoots up through vertical shafts in a roar of spray and thunder, and a short boardwalk lets you stand beside them. Check the tide tables, since a low tide in a calm sea makes the show a little disappointing. The nikau palms, which are New Zealand's only native palm, grow in the forest here, giving the scene a surprisingly subtropical look.
The riding on this section of SH6 is a pleasure. The road follows the coast with long open bends, glimpses of surf, rocky headlands and thick bush, and it is mostly well surfaced, with a few narrow one-lane bridges where you give way. Traffic is steady in summer, but the road is wide enough for a bike. The weather is the main variable, because the West Coast is one of the wettest parts of the country and rain can come in sheets, followed by sunshine and a rainbow.
Fuel is not available in the village. Fill your tank at Greymouth, about forty-five kilometres to the south, or at Westport to the north, since the distances are long and the stations are few. Sandflies are a feature of the coast and you will want repellent. For a quieter visit, go early in the morning, before the coach groups arrive, or stay for the sunset, when the rocks glow orange and the sea turns to bronze.