Story: Limestone country
Oligocene limestone beds (32–22 million years old) are visible as cliffs in a largely tree-covered hillside near Punakaiki on the West Coast. The Punakaiki blowholes are on the headland at lower right. Rivers that flow to the coast have cut deep gorges into this limestone layer. In heavy rainfall areas such as the West Coast, much of the karst landscape is hidden by the dense rainforest.
About this item
GNS Science
Reference: CN36159
Photograph by Lloyd Homer
Permission of GNS Science must be obtained before any use of this image
