Paparoa Park Motel

We were fortunate to stay at the Blowhole Cottage for one night. The views were amazing, and the space was both clean and cosy. It had a cute, charming vibe that made it feel like a perfect little getaway. Definitely a great spot to relax and enjoy the scenery! We would definitely highly recommend.

We had a very comfortable stay here when we visited the nearby Pancake Rocks in Puakaiki. The unit is very well furnished and the owners have clearly put a lot of thought into making sure that visitors have a comfortable stay. It looks as if the owners also own the Pancake Rocks Cafe but unfortunately as we arrived late one evening and left fairly early the next, we weren't able to talk to them to tell them how much we enjoyed our stay. There is a very welcoming Tourist Information Centre (run by the Department of Conservation I think) near the Pancake Rocks entrance which looked as if it had just been opened. As we found throughout our NZ trip, the staff in the TIC were very friendly and helpful.

We have stayed at the Punakaiki Park motel several times and will certainly do so again. It’s everything that you need for a visit to the stunning West Coast: exceptional location and views, clean, comfortable and well equipped rooms, and charming hosts. The Blow Holes cottage has been recently renovated and has amazing views. We stayed one night but could easily have stayed longer.

Nicely located on the edge of town, and our cabin had a great view of the coast (the Blow Hole cabin). My one small negative was that the windows lacked screens so we were concerned about opening them lest the sand flies come to visit. As it turned out, the weather was cool and we were very comfortable. Folks running the place were friendly and helpful.

PROS: Fantastic view of the beach Kitchenette with Hot Plate for cooking Lots of windows for views and spacious feeling Local Weka walk up to the windows and look at you CONS: NO SCREENS on any of the windows (Sandflies will eat you alive) No Closet Storage. Shelves available, but if you need to hang something, no dice. No spatula for fry pan The bed CREAKS with the slightest movement This place is nicer than the reviews would lead you to believe. The Views are fantastic. When we arrived the interior was too warn. No Fan was available, so we opened all the windows. Which worked great until we were over run with sandflies. Then we had to close all the windows to save ourselves from using deet before bed. The bedroom was too warm to sleep with the windows closed so I opened the outside deck door and slept on the couch — to hell with the bugs. Later in the early morning it seemed safe to open the windows to cool the interior down for sleeping. The windows are such that screens can not be added, but it is a real shame with the heat and the bugs. You need the windows open to be comfortable, but the bugs will come in to join you. Having the unit air conditioned or at least providing a fan would go a long way to making it better.

We stayed in Blowhole Cottage and it wasn’t the comfiest of stays, bed was very creaky and nowhere to hang anything, dining chairs aren’t comfortable at all. Parking is great just outside the door, it’s very clean. tv only in bedroom. Spectacular view. WiFi is flaky but works and is great given the remote area We had everything we needed apart from hanging space.