Paparoa National Park

Paparoa National Park is on the west coast of the South Island of New Zealand.It was established in 1987 and encompasses 306 km2. The park ranges from on or near the coastline to the peak of the Paparoa Ranges. A separate section of the park lies to the north and is centered at Ananui Creek. The park protects a limestone karst area. The park contains several caves, of which Metro Cave / Te Ananui Cave is a commercial tourist attraction. The majority of the park is forested with a wide variety of vegetation. The park was the site of the 1995 Cave Creek disaster where fourteen people died as a result of the collapse of a scenic viewing platform.The small settlement of Punakaiki, adjacent to the Pancake Rocks tourist attraction, lies on the edge of the park. The park is also located near the towns of Westport, Greymouth, and Barrytown.History of establishmentIn 1976, the Federated Mountain Clubs had identified the northern part of the Paparoa Ranges as a potential wilderness area. In 1979, the Native Forest Action Council proposed a 130,000 hectare national park, including the northern Paparoa Ranges and land to the north and east. This eventually led to the National Parks and Reserves Authority identifying the western Paparoa Range as a prospective national park. Meanwhile, a joint proposal by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the National Museum succeeded in having a core area of great ecological significance - the forests of the lowland karst syncline - gazetted as the Pororari Ecological Area in 1979.