Paparoa Track: 55 km in West Coast
The Paparoa Track is a named DOC Great Walk in West Coast. The governing figure used here is 55 km (DOC · Paparoa Track), not a straight line between towns.
Typical time on the route is 2 to 3 days. Grade: Tramping track / Grade 4 bike. Season window: Year-round walking; check bike windows.
DOC length 55.1 km. Pororari Hut and Ces Clark Hut. Punakaiki (pancake rocks) is the coastal end; Blackball the inland mining end. In a published window it is also a Great Ride. Weather on the Paparoa Range is West Coast weather.
The itinerary on this page is the published stop sequence: Punakaiki, Pororari Hut, Ces Clark Hut, Blackball. Cabins and holiday homes load live around each stop; hut and trailhead pins without a town page still search by radius.
Book DOC huts and Great Walks on the DOC system where that applies. Town beds are what this site lists. Carry the day’s food on remote legs — several of these routes have no shop between ends.
Stop by stop
Punakaiki — coastal trailhead. Pororari Hut — first night. Ces Clark Hut — range hut. Blackball — inland finish, formerly a coal town.
Distances, grades and seasons above follow DOC · Paparoa Track. Confirm opening dates, slips and hut bookings on the operator or DOC page before you travel; alpine and West Coast tracks close or reroute after weather.
