What people don’t know about Kaikoura are the great walks there.
The one I love the best is over the top of the peninsula to South Bay and back around the beach at low tide.
Also amazing are the white rocks exposed by the earthquake.
The rocks lifted 2.5m out of the ocean and most of the sea creatures on them died.
Local volunteers tried to put the paua back into the water, taking care not to puncture them because they are haemophiliacs. (Ministry of Primary Industry officials ordered them to stop.)
The baby seal pool has come back, but the seals have also established at new ocean pools by the main road. There is a great viewing area to watch them playing.
Going to the old wharf and watching the sun come out of the ocean. Just magic.
We had a great night in ...
Eating seafood. Crayfish was on the menu during our stay in Kaikoura. It was too big for our largest pot but we made do.
Our favourite place to eat ...
We had a barbecue on the way to the seal colony on the Kaikoura Peninsula. We had garlic prawns, seafood chowder, crayfish, and so on. Yum.
The best place to exercise ...
Walk over the top of the peninsula to South Bay.
The best experience ...
The helicopter flight with Heliservices NZ, from Franz Josef Airport to the top of Franz Josef Glacier. Lyn had never been in a helicopter before. It was just amazing.
The best-kept secret ...
It's the most wonderful place for seafood. I don't think people appreciate enough how fresh the food is — you can get it straight off the boats and at all the restaurants.
The walks in Kaikoura are also great.
KAIKOURA
Category: Coastal, nature
Drive times: Christchurch 2hr, Picton 2hr 20min
Population: 3500
Average temps: summer max 21degC; winter max 12degC
