Punakaiki Pancake Rocks blowholes tide times: when to go
The blowholes only roar around high tide, best with a south-westerly swell.
Tue 3 November 2026
Go around high tide: 05:48 to 06:22
High tide at 05:52 · Average tidal range
| High tide | 05:52 | +0.8 m vs. mean sea level |
|---|---|---|
| Low tide | 12:00 | -0.8 m vs. mean sea level |
| High tide | 18:19 | +1.0 m vs. mean sea level |
Sunrise 06:18 · Sunset 20:19 · Shaded bands: high-tide windows; grey: dark
Next 7 days
| Day | Low tide | High tide | Daylight window | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 3 Nov | 12:00 | 05:52, 18:19 | 05:48–06:22 | Mid |
| Wed 4 Nov | 00:42, 13:07 | 07:00, 19:24 | 06:00–07:30 | Mid |
| Thu 5 Nov | 01:43, 14:07 | 07:59, 20:21 | 06:59–08:29 | Mid |
| Fri 6 Nov | 02:37, 14:59 | 08:51, 21:11 | 07:51–09:21 | Spring |
| Sat 7 Nov | 03:25, 15:46 | 09:37, 21:57 | 08:37–10:07 | Spring |
| Sun 8 Nov | 04:08, 16:29 | 10:20, 22:40 | 09:20–10:50 | Spring |
| Mon 9 Nov | 04:49, 17:10 | 11:00, 23:20 | 10:00–11:30 | Spring |
Biggest tides in the next 12 months
Spring tides expose the most sea floor at low water and bring the highest high water.
| Date | Range | Low tide | High tide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 24 Jan 2027 | 3.0 m | 06:17, 18:46 | 00:11, 12:30 |
| Mon 22 Feb 2027 | 3.1 m | 05:58, 18:24 | 12:11 |
| Mon 22 Mar 2027 | 3.0 m | 04:54, 17:19 | 11:06, 23:29 |
| Tue 20 Apr 2027 | 2.9 m | 03:31, 15:54 | 09:42, 22:04 |
| Wed 7 Jul 2027 | 2.9 m | 06:24, 18:41 | 00:07, 12:35 |
| Wed 4 Aug 2027 | 3.1 m | 05:20, 17:37 | 11:31, 23:50 |
| Thu 2 Sep 2027 | 3.1 m | 05:00, 17:16 | 11:10, 23:28 |
| Thu 30 Sep 2027 | 3.1 m | 04:54, 17:12 | 11:05, 23:24 |
Tours
Punakaiki Pancake Rocks blowholes tide times by month
Where these tide times come from
We fit 18 tidal constituents to modelled hourly sea level for the nearest open-sea grid point (-42.13, 171.29), then predict any date with astronomical arguments and nodal corrections. In a held-out week our high and low water times differed from the model forecast by a median of 4 minutes.
Local harbours, river flow, wind and air pressure shift real tides by tens of minutes and heights by tens of centimetres. Check the local official tide table before you go.
Times are local (Pacific/Auckland). Heights are relative to mean sea level, not chart datum. Source data: Open-Meteo Marine API.