Kaikoura offers a diverse range of quality activities and other then Whale Watching you can swim with dolphins and seals, cruise around the peninsula on a kayak, experience a Maori tour, feel the adrenalin of a sky dive, fly your own plane, ride a horse or go out back on a quad bike to mention a few.
Kaikoura also has a variety of quality accommodation styles on offer to suit all budgets such as luxury lodges, motels, motor lodges, holiday parks, hostels, B&B’s and Backpackers and if your into wining & dining Kaikoura has plenty on offer here to with Seafood common place on most menus around town. To find out more on what Kaikoura has to offer please visit www.kaikoura.co.nz
Kaikoura Peninsula 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.
Kaikoura 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 a NZ tour on a Whale Watch boat.
Surfing in Kaikoura
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.
