What are the layered limestone formations at Punakaiki, New Zealand?

The layered limestone formations at Punakaiki, New Zealand, are the Pancake Rocks.

The formations stand at Dolomite Point on New Zealand’s South Island and are part of Paparoa National Park. Their distinctive appearance comes from regularly stacked limestone layers, separated by weaker bands that erode more quickly and leave a pancake-like profile.

The limestone formed roughly 22–30 million years ago during the Oligocene, when much of Zealandia lay beneath shallow seas. Shells and other marine debris accumulated on the seabed, were buried, compressed and cemented into limestone. Later uplift exposed the rock, while rain, wind and waves carved it into the present karst landscape.

The site is also famous for its blowholes. Waves rush into sea caves and compress the air inside, forcing spray upward through openings in the rock. The blowholes are usually most dramatic around high tide and during large swells. Pancake Rocks are sometimes confused with Australia’s Twelve Apostles, but the two formations are in different countries and have different geological histories.