Blog

Experience Centre build kicks off

We’ve had a couple of celebrations in Punakaiki over the past few weeks to mark the start of something huge for our piece of paradise – the building of the new Experience Centre. This is a major milestone for the Department of Conservation’s Dolomite Point Redevelopment Project and we’re stoked about it. The community […]

Running the Paparoa Track in a day

We woke up in Blackball in our tent, stepped outside, tent was surrounded by water, soaking feet already; we knew it would be a big day! We were very excited to run the Paparoa Track in a day. Johanna and I had run a half marathon (21kms) a few months before and had been slowly […]

Peak Paparoa on track

From October through to the end of April Ces Clarke, Moonlight and Pororari huts all have a warden in place. They mostly do an eight day on, six day off rotation, so two wardens will call each hut home over these months. Hut wardens are there to help visitors enjoy their stay whether it’s their […]

New Punakaiki shared pathway

We are well stoked with the new pathway for walkers and cyclists which runs from the Truman Track to the Punakaiki River, it’s awesome for those of us who live in lovely Punakaiki and for visitors too. It used to be that to get from one part of Punakaiki to another on foot or bike […]

Punakaiki’s Top 5 to do’s for families

So, the winter solstice has passed, Matariki has been sighted and from here on in the days get longer and the summer closer – yay! It’s time to start planning how you’re going to spend your summer holidays and here at the Punakaiki Beach Camp we can definitely help with that. Our little piece of […]

Taiko Festival rocks Punakaiki!

700 people attended this years Taiko Festival here at the Punakaiki Beach Camp and it went off! Wearing gumboots and swannies attendees danced through the night at what is now becoming a must do on the West Coast event calendar. Tiki Tanae and PDiggggs came together in an epic set of NZ “fire tunes”. The two […]

Boutique Punakaiki festival woos national talent

Bird-watching, tree-planting, yoga, clowning around, dancing, singing, poetry, kids racing around – it’s time for the mini Glastonbury of the South again! Three years after wowing Tāiko Festival audiences at the boutique Punakaiki event, Kiwi music legend Tiki Taane is coming back, joined by Shapeshifter vocalist PDigsss. Festival Chair Jed Findlay says Taane jumped at […]

New holiday home website

We might be bucking the trend a bit but we’ve been blown away by the number of New Zealanders making plans to head for Punakaiki who ask us about holiday homes. They want comfortable houses where they can chill, do their own thing in terms of cooking but places that are also a bit special in our […]

Our very own Paparoa Track builder

https://www.punakaikibeachcamp.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20201212_163615.mp4 At the beach camp we have a real expert on the Paparoa Track, one who helped build it. Tim got a job straight out of school working as part of the Department of Conservation team which built the Moonlight Tops section of the Great Walk. Not a bad way to start life on the […]

Coffee and whitebait, what’s not to love?

If you’re one of those people who likes to start the day with primo caffeination we’ve news for you. Right here in the Punakaiki Beach Camp we have a most excellent coffee cart serving up flat whites, lattes, short blacks, long blacks, name your choice. Each and every morning, from about 7 onwards, our resident […]

Punakaiki moves into dark times!

Westland petrel chicks are leaving the nest for the first time between November and January and can be disorientated by lights and poor weather at the very start of their long journey to South America. 90% of petrels found downed due to disorientation by lights are fledglings. Tragically, many are disorientated by vehicle or street […]

Punakaiki Beach Camp – #1 for your holiday list

Don’t know how it is with you but spring’s sprung here at Punakaiki. The tui are scrapping over the early kowhai, the neighbour’s daffodils are out and – yippee – the days are getting longer. Summer’s really just around the corner and that means another epic kiwi holiday season is coming. Here at the Punakaiki […]