The Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki on the South Island’s West Coast are composed of limestone. They formed around 35 million years ago into distinctive flat layers that resemble pancakes. Punakaiki is a scenic reserve and is not quarried, but extensive deposits of limestone occur on this northern stretch of the West Coast. At Cape Foulwind, further north, a quarry supplies a large cement works.
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GNS Science
Reference:
CN04010/12
Photograph by Lloyd Homer
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