Housed in a modern building designed to resemble a crayfishing pot, this whizz-bang museum illuminates the region's geology and natural and social histories with well-curated exhibitions. Highlights include the fossilised remains of a plesiosaur and a mosasaur, a holographic prisoner in a padded cell, and poignant displays on the 2016 earthquake.
Kaikōura Museum
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
1.59 MILES
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…
0.59 MILES
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…
2.24 MILES
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…
2.26 MILES
At the northern entrance to the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway, overlooking the Point Kean Seal Colony.
1.84 MILES
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.
Nearby attractions
0.59 MILES
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…
1.59 MILES
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…
1.84 MILES
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.
2.19 MILES
Scenic lookout over the seal colony at the southern end of the Kaikōura Peninsula.
2.24 MILES
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…
2.26 MILES
At the northern entrance to the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway, overlooking the Point Kean Seal Colony.