Kaikoura

Kaikoura Township - A Magical World

Few places on Earth possess the magic of Kaikoura. Many who visit leave transformed.

It is a special part of New Zealand, imbued with powerful natural energy. A place where tectonic plates collide, towering peaks fall to the sea and ocean currents converge. Such rare combinations lure an abundance of marine life, the most famous being the Sperm Whale. It was a whale that led the Maori ancestor Paikea to New Zealand many centuries ago. His descendants live in Kaikoura today. Fittingly, the whale continues to guide the people of Kaikoura and the visitors they host.

Kaikoura is one of New Zealand's leading nature tourism destinations offering a variety of exciting marine wildlife encounters. Despite the recent rise in tourist numbers, the town retains much of its historical charm. Many new motels, cafes and restaurants can be found in beautifully restored old buildings. Fresh local seafood is always on the menu. The retention of the town's distinctive character has made Kaikoura extremely attractive to artists. Their work, inspired by the remarkable landscape and wildlife, can be seen all over town.

Whaling History

Painted in its original pink, Fyffe House is all that remains of the Kaikoura whaling industry. The town's oldest surviving building, it has changed little since the 1860s.

Built literally upon foundations of whale vertebrae, Fyffe House provides a rare opportunity for visitors to feel the small-roomed confines of a whaler's cottage, touch whale bones and baleen and even smell the fragrant aroma of whale oil.

European settlement of Kaikoura began in 1842 when Scotsman Robert Fyfe established a whaling station. His cousin George Fyffe (they spelt their surnames differently) joined Robert later. The cousins employed many local Maori men in their whaling crews along with whalers from Australia, Great Britain, North America, France, Germany, Hawaii and India. Many of these foreign whalers married local Ngai Tahu women and their descendants live in Kaikoura today.

Harpooned whales, mostly Southern Right Whales, were dragged to a large rock shelf in the bay near Fyffe House and their flesh removed and boiled down for oil. Southern Right Whales were already rare in the 1840s and their numbers soon collapsed. At this time George Fyffe and many of the whalers turned to sheep and dairy farming to make a living. Farming soon became the mainstay of the local economy until whale watching began in 1987 and shifted the emphasis back to whales.

Humpback and Sperm whales sustained a small whaling industry in Kaikoura until the early 20th century. >p>Whales were still being hunted in other South Island locations until commercial whaling ended in New Zealand in 1964.

Coastal Walks

Room to move

Crystal clear rock pools and wild empty beaches. Walking Kaikoura's scenic coastline will expose you to the world's cleanest ocean environment.

The Kaikoura Peninsula has clearly marked cliff-top and coastal walking tracks guiding you from lush open farmland to inter-tidal limestone shore platforms.

A great opportunity to observe seals and dolphins, penguins and wading birds.

Mountain Walks

A world of discovery

Breathtaking views await those walking the mountain trails of the hinterland as Kaikoura is the only place in New Zealand where such high ranges so abruptly meet the sea. The return walk to Mt Fyffe takes a day but is easily achieved by those of even moderate fitness. Trail maps are available from the Kaikoura Visitor Information Centre.

There is still plenty to discover in these incredible mountains. As recently as the 1990s two new species were found here - a giant weta and a lizard. Another recent discovery was the nesting habits of a local seabird, the Hutton's Shearwater. Every year, thousands of Hutton's Shearwaters lay eggs and raise chicks in deep burrows dug through the snow into the hard shale of the Seaward Kaikoura Ranges. No other seabird is known to nest at such high altitudes.

On the way to the mountains you will pass through dense native forests of Manuka, Kahikatea, Totara and Beech inhabited by New Zealand Wood Pigeon, South Island Robins, Fantails, Bellbirds and the Grey Warbler. You may also encounter introduced species such as wild pigs, chamois and deer. Mountain walks are an ideal way to fill in time if the sea is too rough for Whale Watch tours.

Surfing

Surf, drive and ski

The Kaikoura district has some of the best year-round surf in New Zealand and is home to a number of national surfing champions. There is a local surf school for those who want to have a go and surfboards and surf gear can be bought in town.

Kaikoura is where resident surfer Brian O'Connor created his famous Paua Surfboard - a work of art now housed in Te Papa, the National Museum, Wellington. Kaikoura locals often surf and snowboard on the same day. Mt Lyford ski field is less than an hour away.

Skiing

Whale Watch then Ski

Mt Lyford is a crowd-free fully operational ski field less than an hour from Kaikoura.

The field opens from June to October and provides a sunny ski area ideal for families with a great learner's area as well as challenging runs for intermediate and advanced skiers.

There is a day lodge, restaurant and car park centrally located.