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Fyffe House
Kaikōura’s oldest surviving building and the last remaining part of the Waiopuka whaling station, Fyffe House's whale-bone foundations were laid in 1844…
Getty Images/Lonely Planet Images
Kaikoura
Take SH1 129km southeast from Blenheim (or 180km north from Christchurch) and you’ll encounter Kaikoura, a pretty peninsula town backed by the snow-capped Seaward Kaikoura Range. Few places in the world are home to such a variety of easily spottable wildlife: whales, dolphins, NZ fur seals, penguins, shearwaters, petrels and several species of albatross live in or pass by the area.
Marine animals are abundant here due to ocean-current and continental-shelf conditions: the seabed gradually slopes away from the land before plunging to more than 800m where the southerly current hits the continental shelf. This creates an upwelling of nutrients from the ocean floor into the feeding zone.
In November 2016, the Kaikoura region was struck by a severe magnitude 7.8 earthquake, but following the reestablishment of badly damaged transport links, the town is once again easily reached and an essential destination for visitors to New Zealand.
Explore Kaikoura
- FFyffe House
Kaikōura’s oldest surviving building and the last remaining part of the Waiopuka whaling station, Fyffe House's whale-bone foundations were laid in 1844…
- EEmporium Brewing
Fill up a takeaway rigger or buy bottles of Emporium's tasty brews at this simple taproom. There are also escape rooms (two players $70; book ahead) and…
- PPoint Kean Seal Colony
New Zealand fur seals can usually be spotted lazing around on the rocks at the end of the peninsula. Give them a wide berth (10m), and never get between…
- KKaikōura Museum
Housed in a modern building designed to resemble a crayfishing pot, this whizz-bang museum illuminates the region's geology and natural and social…
- LLookout
At the northern entrance to the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway, overlooking the Point Kean Seal Colony.
- LLookout
Scenic lookout over the seal colony at the southern end of the Kaikōura Peninsula.
- PPoint Sheep Shearing Show
The 30-minute Point Sheep Shearing Show at the Point B&B is fun and educational. You can feed a ram, and lambs between September and February.
- LLookout
Scenic lookout over South Bay on the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway.
Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Kaikoura.
See
Fyffe House
Kaikōura’s oldest surviving building and the last remaining part of the Waiopuka whaling station, Fyffe House's whale-bone foundations were laid in 1844…
See
Emporium Brewing
Fill up a takeaway rigger or buy bottles of Emporium's tasty brews at this simple taproom. There are also escape rooms (two players $70; book ahead) and…
See
Point Kean Seal Colony
New Zealand fur seals can usually be spotted lazing around on the rocks at the end of the peninsula. Give them a wide berth (10m), and never get between…
See
Kaikōura Museum
Housed in a modern building designed to resemble a crayfishing pot, this whizz-bang museum illuminates the region's geology and natural and social…
See
Lookout
At the northern entrance to the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway, overlooking the Point Kean Seal Colony.
See
Point Sheep Shearing Show
The 30-minute Point Sheep Shearing Show at the Point B&B is fun and educational. You can feed a ram, and lambs between September and February.
Featured videos
Introducing New Zealand
2:40
Guidebooks
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