Punakaiki is a small community on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand, between Westport and Greymouth. The community lies on the edge of the Paparoa National Park. The Pancake Rocks is a popular tourist attraction at Dolomite Point south of the main village. The Pancake Rocks is a heavily eroded dolomite area where the sea bursts though a number of vertical blowholes during high tides.
State Highway 6, the only through road on the West Coast, passes through the town.
Punakaiki or Pancake rocks is a tourist destination in Westland, the western coast on North Island.
The Maori name Punakaiki probably derives from puna (spring) and kaiki or kaika (lie in a heap).
The area between the Tiropahi and Punakaiki rivers, which means the whole western, limestone part of the park, is rich in caves and other karst features.