Paparoa

There is an amazing Paparoa National Park on the South Island of New Zealand. It was founded in 1987 on an area of 306 ^km2. The park impresses with the beauty of its rocks in the form of a stack of pancakes and an amazing variety of vegetation.

The park is located near the cities of Westport, Greymouth and Barrytown and is a popular tourist attraction. Especially many tourists can be seen in the caves of the Underground and Te Ananui. But such beauty is fraught with danger. In 1995, 14 people died in the collapse of the observation deck in the Ruchey cave.

Most of Paparoa National Park is covered by limestone mountain landscapes. This area has been under water for 30 million years, and all this time the remains of sea creatures have been deposited on the bottom. Numerous earthquakes have raised the seabed, forming unusual rocks that resemble fabulous animals in places, jagged shores and sandy beaches. The most famous place of Paparoa Park is located near Punakaika, where the boundaries between the limestone layers are especially clearly visible. These rocks are called Pancake Rocks.

Numerous rivers flow through Paparoa National Park, which for millions of years have been flowing through light limestone rock, and have carved caves and underground rivers into the rocks. Extensive cave systems are another feature of the park. In places, rivers appear from sinkholes and then disappear into them.

The park attracts with its variety of birds. Paparoa's reliefs conceal such rare birds as kiwis, and there are also thuja, kaka parrots, New Zealand honeyeaters, makomakos, and pigeons. Westland petrels nest in Paparoa Park, which are under special protection here because they are found only in this area. Colonies of New Zealand fur seals can be seen on the seashores, which in turn attract sea leopards and killer whales here. Humpback whales, blue whales, and dolphins can also sometimes be seen passing by in the sea.