The Punakaiki Cavern is a Karst cave, formed with a combination of water and carbon dioxide, carving out the cave from the Oligocene limestone. The Punakaiki cave also features glow worms and stalactites.
The Punakaiki Cavern is a Karst cave, formed with a combination of water and carbon dioxide, carving out the cave from the Oligocene limestone. Well worth a look around. The cavern also features glow worms and stalactites.
The floor of the caves can be slippery.
Wear a crash helmet and take a torch
Westport to Greymouth bus
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From Westport take highway 67 to Reefton. 6km south turn right on to highway 6 to Greymouth via Punakaiki. Charleston Township is another 25km. The next point is Fox River at 45km. There is a good walk into Fox River Caves well worth the walk. The Irimahuwhero lookout is also a good place to stop. Punakaiki is just another 2km. 500m before the township at the bottom of the hill on the left is the entrance to the caves.
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In the map above, if you zoom in on the walk, you’ll see all the following track points and their location. Each point has photos along with a description about each one.
Park the car on the right hand side of the road. The entrance is easy to find. You walk down in to the hidden rain forest. Then up the stair case to the entrance of the cave.
You need to make your way to the left there is a marker to follow.
Watch the slippery floor at the beginning.
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