Kaikoura - Regional Information

Kaikoura | Regional Information | Activity Highlights | Scenic Highlights | History

Fur seals lounge on rocks just metres from shore, dusky and hector's dolphins frolic in the sea, while a few kilometres out, giant sperm whales haunt the depths.

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Kaikoura Overview

Kaikoura, New Zealand

Situated about halfway between Christchurch and Picton on the east coast of the South Island, Kaikoura is where the mountains almost reach the sea.

A branch of the Southern Alps, the Seaward Kaikoura Range rises almost directly out of the ocean in places and many of its peaks are snow-capped for most of the year. The highest mountain in the range is Manakau at 2610 metres, and the most imaginatively-named is Mount Horrible.

This unique combination of ocean and mountains offers stunning coastal alpine scenery and a host of eco-tourism activities including whale watching, dolphin swimming and seal snorkelling. Walk the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway and discover seal and bird colonies along the coast.

Image Source: Tourism New Zealand. Fur seal in Kaikoura, New Zealand

Fur Seal, Kaikoura
Photographer: Jason Hosking
(www.jasonhosking.com)

Kaikoura is quite small, with only a resident population of approximately 3,600 in the township and rural areas (2006 Census). In Maori, Kaikoura literally means 'to eat crayfish', and this is a big delicacy here.