If you’re visiting New Zealands South Island then Kaikoura is one of the more unique places you could visit. With Mountains sitting just alongside the coast it’s hard to forget the view from the beach. The entire town is focused on one main street with the town most well known for its Whale watching. Let’s have a look at some of the main things you can do on the way to Kaikoura from Christchurch and also the activities available within the town.
The drive up to Kaikoura from Christchurch is roughly 2 and a half hours and follows the coast for large amounts of the journey. Along the way you’ll catch glimpses of mountains out to the west and if you’re careful seals lounging on the rocks along the coastline. There’s many stopping points en-route with Pinnacle rock providing a safe spot to pull over and look a little more closely for the furry seal friends. Arriving into Kaikoura it’s quickly clear why people make sure to stop off here, the Kaikoura Mountain range is so close to the coast and is a beautiful view, no matter whether there’s snow or not. If you can afford it, heading out on a whale watching trip is something unique to Kaikoura and you’ll have the opportunity to potentially see seals, dolphins, sea birds and most importantly whales!
The reason Kaikoura is so good for whale watching is the sea shelf drops off really close to the coast allowing the whales to descend to the depths. Don’t worry if you don’t see any whales you’ll actually receive an 80% refund back and have had a two hour cruise on the water for pennies. There is a chance your trip will be cancelled if they have no sightings of whales at all that day so just be prepared to have other plans to fill your day and try not to be too disappointed as it’s not feasible for them to refund every trip when Whales aren’t visible. Regarding the best months to visit to be able to see whales it’s actually at the coldest time of year here in New Zealand, with the months of July and August being amongst the most frequent months for seeing whales. There’s actually a huge variety of whale species you’re able to see on your visit from Sperm, Humpback and if you’re incredibly lucky Blue whales. Other marine animals that you may come across from the boat includes, Fur Seals, Dusky dolphins and Hector’s dolphins (the worlds smallest dolphin and only found in New Zealand) and Orcas (Killer Whales). Whale watching really is one of the best activities in Kaikoura and booking in advance is really important as the boats can fill up weeks in advance in the busier periods.
One such plan I’d suggest is to do the Kaikoura Peninsula walk where you can get really close to the seal colony. Just don’t get too close, they are wild animals and really would prefer you didn’t pose for a selfie with them (something we actually saw when we last visited). The entire peninsula is able to be walked around which would take a good 3 hours or more but you can just as easily do a smaller loop track. You’re able to walk along the top of the cliffs to be able to take in the views across the town and out into the ocean or if you’d prefer take the lower path and watch out for walking into a seal! There’s look out points at Whalers Bay which involves a pretty steep climb up a path and a lot of sliding back down on your bum – unless you’ve got some proper grippy shoes. The walkway is one of the best activities in Kaikoura as the bottom path is very accessible for anyone and gets you up close to the nature of New Zealand. You’ll also be able to see various local bird life including the spotted shags, gannetts and the local New Zealand gulls.
Another of the best activities in Kaikoura on a rainy day is a visit to the museum on the main street. This museum talks all about the history of the area and includes exhibits discussing the effects of the 2016 Kaikoura Earthquake. It’s the perfect place to spend an hour or two while waiting for your whale tour and could provide insights into parts of the culture that you aren’t aware of including exhibits on the Maori history of the area, the village life and the natural history of the area. Bizarrely enough it’s actually got a padded cell as part of a two cell jail exhibit, only one of a couple in New Zealand.
Once you’ve had enough of exploring the best activities in Kaikoura it’s time for some food. Kaikoura has a range of restaurants to eat at, we visited Strawberry Tree, which while not the cheapest, was full of amazing seafood! If you fancy something a little more fast paced then grab yourself some fish and chips, indian or if you fancy something more fast foody; Subway! Accomodation in Kaikoura ranges from Hostels to holiday parks and some more up-market hotels. If you’re travelling by car then you could either stay in Kaikoura or drive the remainder up to Blenheim, located in the heart of wine country, which will give you a bit more time on your next day in the country. If you’re in a campervan I’d recommend driving up the coast to stay at Kekerengu, there’s a huge beach side camping area with a coffee van located on site.
On the way up the coast make sure not to miss this close contender for the best activity in Kaikoura and stop off at Ohau point seal colony. There are literally hundreds upon hundreds of seals here and there are very regularly seal pups playing in the sheltered rocks. We’ve easily spent a couple of hours just chilling and watching them jumping around and chasing each other. This area was badly affected by the 2016 earthquake; the seals used to be able to play in a waterfall area which got completely cut off due to landslides but this hasn’t deterred the seals and they will likely be out in force when you visit. Enjoy watching the pups chasing each other and the parents keeping an eye on their offspring from afar, they’re amazing creatures and really worth your time to stop and enjoy this unique spot.
Thanks for reading our blog about the best activities in Kaikoura, keep your eyes out for more blogs in the future covering other activities that you should complete across New Zealand.
Caris & Ed
