- Distance
- 6.06km return to Inland Pack Track
- Total Ascent
- 162m
- Time
- 2.5hr return to Inland Pack Track junction
- Grade
- Easy
- Access
- From the car park by the Pororari River bridge, 1km north of the Visitor Centre on SH6
- Map
- BS19
- Notes & Map
- pororari-river-track-west-coast (pdf, 435 KB)
- GPX File
- Pororari River Track.West Coast (gpx, yo 9 KB)
- Your device does not support GPX files. Please try a different device.
If you’re at Punakaiki and want to escape the crowds at Pancake Rocks, a short walk along the Pororari River Track will do the trick.
The track passes through a lush, forested river valley, surrounded on all sides by dramatic limestone cliffs and bluffs, eventually reaching Paparoa National Park and a junction with the recently reopened Inland Pack Track.
A 15-minute walk from the car park brings you to a seat and a lovely lookout over the river. The track continues for another 2.5km to the Inland Pack Track.
This sub-tropical forest, with many shades of green and diverse leaf shapes of nikau palms, tree ferns and towering rata, is a delight to walk through. Wildlife abounds – weka cross the track and tomtit, bush robins, kereru, tuis and bellbirds fly overhead. Shoals of fish can be seen in the dark pools.