About Kaikoura

Kaikoura is a small seaside community 183km north of Christchurch. As one of the rare places where giant whales, dusky and Hector’s dolphins, NZ fur seals, albatross, penguins and various pelagic birds can all be viewed year-round, the area is a mecca for wildlife enthusiasts. However there’s more to Kaikoura than its marine population. Its great surf, beautiful Wilderness Walkway, nearby ski fields, excellent local seafood (especially crayfish) and wineries all help to attract the regions many visitors.

Although the peninsula is backed by the dazzlingly snow-capped 2600m Seaward Kaikouras, the town’s climate is tempered by the sea. Situated in New Zealand’s "sun belt", the region averages over 2000 hours of sunshine annually.

Maori legend describes how the Kaikoura peninsula, Taumanu o te Waka o Maui, served as the seat of the demigod Maui while he fished up the north island from the depths of the sea, and the area was already inhabited before European settlement.  Later, Kaikoura was an important whaling station until 1922, when the end of whale-hunting made the town dependent on its agriculture and fishing resources. Since the late 1980s marine life has once again taken economic precedence in the form of eco-tourism activities which have firmly established Kaikoura on the tourist map.