The "Pancake Rocks" in Punakaiki in Aotearoa New Zealand
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The "Pancake Rocks" in Punakaiki in Aotearoa New Zealand

by Maxime Grandin, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

An intriguing rock formation consisting of slowly eroded limestone, the Pancake Rocks in Punakaiki attract many visitors to the west coast of the South Island (Te Waipounamu) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Among the stratified rock pillars, blowholes – also created by erosion from the sea – offer a spectacular show when droplets of water and spume are sprayed into the air as larger waves hit the shore.