Punakaiki Marine Reserve covers more than 35 square km from Perpendicular Point to near Maher Swamp, and out to two nautical miles from shore. Paparoa National Park and the marine reserve combined, protect heavily forested land and water catchments from the mountains out to sea.
The reserve surrounds Dolomite Point’s pancake rocks and blowholes, one of the most distinctive landscapes of the West Coast. The pancake rocks are 30 million year old limestone formations – the shells of ancient marine animals overlaid with soft mud and clay, raised by earthquakes and etched out by the sea.
The sea is still working on this natural sculpture, rasping through spectacular blowholes in the rocks.
Visitors to the rest of Punakaiki Marine Reserve will find a representative slice of wild West Coast life – rocky and gravel shores giving way to forests of bull kelp and other seaweeds, and vigorous waves rolling in from big, windswept seas.
On stormy days, plankton (microscopic floating plants and animals) are whipped up by the frenzied sea, washing up as a frothy band of sea foam that is sometimes a metre or more deep on the beach.
Westland petrels breed in the hills above Barrytown Flats, and are often seen in the reserve. Albatrosses, petrels, terns and gannets also pass through. Blue penguins and Hector’s dolphins can be seen within the reserve.
Offshore, beyond rocky reefs, the seabed is mostly a rippled surface of sand and mud that provides habitat for burrowing surf clams and worms, as well as fish like stargazers, gurnard and sharks. The driftwood-strewn cobble ridge beaches of the Barrytown flats are a feature of the central and northern West Coast.
Several rivers and creeks meet the sea at Punakaiki Marine Reserve, creating a variety of mouth formations that link to coastal streams and wetlands.
Reporting pests
Find-A-Pest lets you report potential pest species, including marine, plant, animal and fungal species.
If you come across something out of the ordinary, upload a picture to the app and a specialist will help identify it. If it's a biosecurity threat, this will be forwarded to Biosecurity New Zealand. If possible, take photos and record the location and name of the vessel.
Or call the Ministry for Primary Industries' Pest and Diseases hotline on 0800 80 99 66.
Report illegal or suspicious activity
Don't take, disturb, kill or damage anything within the reserve - it's illegal. If you see people taking anything from the reserve, report the activity as soon as possible.
You can call 0800 4 POACHER (0800 476 224) or 0800 DOCHOT (0800 362 468).
It is also an offence to pollute or litter the reserve, discharge any firearm in or into the reserve or erect any structure in the reserve.