Pancake Rocks—A Geologist Dream

Pancake Rocks is a limestone formation on the ocean, on the northwest coast. We passed by on our way from Hokitika to Nelson, and stopped to see them. There is a short loop trail carved through the rocks that takes you out to the ocean for some great viewpoints.

These formations are unique and stunning. The coast itself is similar to the Oregon Coast, but Oregon doesn’t have this. The story of the rocks goes back thirty five million years. Layers of skeletons and shells of marine animals fell to the ocean floor and were piled in layer after layer. They were compressed under pressure, and then the tectonic plates pushed the layers up, over a period of tens of millions of years. The process is still happening. Once the layers poke up through the water, waves and wind erode them.

Thirty five million years in the making, a one-hour stop along the highway. Next stop, Nelson.