Hello and welcome to my guide on the best things to do in Kaikoura! My name is Jacob, I’m 30 years old and I have a passion for traveling. My other interests include photography, hiking/exploring nature, watching live sport, and spending time with family, friends and my partner Megan. Originally from the UK, I was brought up and have spent most of my life in York.
I’ve always had a desire to travel and explore new places, and during my full time work in the UK I took every opportunity of annual leave to fly off and see somewhere new. However in 2018, whilst living in York with my partner, I was diagnosed with the medical condition: Ulcerative Colitis. This was a challenging time with myself being in and out of hospital. Due to the nature of the condition, it was very restrictive and meant no traveling.
Then, of course, the pandemic hit just to make things worse! Thankfully though, the pandemic did pass and in early 2022 I received great news that my condition had entered remission. This gave me and my partner the opportunity/motivation to travel the world. So we quit our full time jobs, booked a one way flight to New Zealand and haven’t looked back since!
Our 18-Month Adventure in New Zealand
We flew over to NZ in September 2022 and entered on a working holiday visa. We spent 18 months in the country. During our visit, we were lucky enough to see many places. We started off living and working in Auckland for the first five months of our adventure, before flying to the South Island. We landed in Christchurch and from there on we traveled by bus – exploring and staying in Tekapo, Queenstown, Franz Josef and Greymouth.
We then took the TranzAlpine train back through to Christchurch, stopping off in Arthur’s Pass along the way. The next three months we spent working in a supermarket in Te Anau, which was great! Following the conclusion of our work contracts we met up with my sister, and spent three weeks traveling to Kaikoura and Nelson before heading back up to Auckland.
After six more months of working in NZ’s biggest city, we concluded our Kiwi adventure by meeting up with my parents to explore Rotorua, Taupo and Wellington. We took the ferry across the Cook Strait to Picton, saw Nelson again and caught the Coastal Pacific Train from Blenheim.
We squeezed in a final trip to one of my favorite places in NZ – Tekapo – before Megan and I headed back up north to visit the Bay of Islands, go sand boarding on Ninety Mile Beach and see Cape Reinga. We then left the country for Canada in February 2024! All in all, it was a fantastic experience!
Why Kaikoura is a Nature Lovers Paradise
We found out about Kaikoura as a destination just before we flew out to NZ. I knew my sister would be visiting us at some point while we were in the country and we all wanted to go whale watching. After some research, we chose to add Kaikoura to our travel bucket list, because it looked like an amazing place and it seemed like the perfect spot to see the whales.
In total, we spent four nights in Kaikoura – although, I wish it had been longer. Being a nature and photography lover, Kaikoura had it all: from sea views to snow capped mountain views, to experiencing amazing wildlife like fur seals and whales! When I compare it to other places I have been to in NZ, Kaikoura is right up there. I would rank it in my top three places.
My Favorite Place in Kaikoura: Seal Colony
My number one place in Kaikoura was the beach and Kaikoura Seal Colony. I’ve never been anywhere like it before. Getting to see hundreds of fur seals up close was a special experience! Then there were the incredible views of the sea and mountains, not to mention the abundance of shells on the beach and rock pools. I spent over an hour combing the place, finding colorful shells. Being into my photography and a lover of nature, this place was perfect for me. If it wasn’t for my love of traveling and wanting to see other places, I could have easily stayed in Kaikoura for a while.
Top 5 Must-Do Experiences in Kaikoura
1. Go Llama Trekking
I myself am not that keen on llamas, however my partner and my sister loved this experience. They took part in a half-day trek with their llama friends, Max and Pegasus, leading them through a forest area down to a river. Also on offer is a full-day trek which includes a picnic and a walk with your llama along the beach. This is a great experience for any animal lover!
2. Do the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway
The Peninsula Walkway is a must-do in Kaikoura. The walkway hugs the ocean and provides great views from the cliff tops as well. When we walked this, I couldn’t stop taking photographs of the amazing scenery!
3. Head Up to the Kaikoura Lookout
The Kaikoura Lookout is a beautifully scenic spot to hike up to if you want a stunning view over Kaikoura town. If you’re there in the winter, like I was, you will also get a wonderful view of the snow capped mountains and of course the Pacific Ocean. The view is definitely worth the walk up.
4. Check Out the Kaikoura Seal Colony
In my opinion, you can’t come to Kaikoura and not go to the Seal Colony. If you’re a nature lover, this is very special. When I went in July, there were hundreds of fur seals chilling on the coastline – an incredible sight!
5. Book a Whale Watching Boat Tour
The number one thing to do in Kaikoura (for me) is participating in one of the whale watching boat tours. This experience was one of my favorites, not just in Kaikoura but the whole of NZ. We saw humpback whales and sperm whales up close. And it wasn’t just whales! We also saw the world’s smallest and rarest dolphin (hector’s dolphin), many seabirds (including an albatross), and a seal feeding on and throwing an octopus around! It was all very interesting to see. I thoroughly enjoyed this awe-inspiring experience.
Best Places to Stay in Kaikoura
We stayed in a lovely holiday home called Five Palms on our Kaikoura trip, situated about 10 to 15 minutes walk from Kaikoura beach and the town center. It also offered a spectacular view of the mountains! I booked it on booking.com and it was fairly priced, so I would definitely recommend it.
During my NZ travels, I have also used Airbnb which I would highly recommend considering as well. Alternatively, walking along the seafront, there were many hotels and apartments which I would also recommend looking at for somewhere to stay (given their excellent location).
Need to Know Before You Go
Kaikoura is very accessible, however you choose to go there. There were plenty of people who had come in cars and campervans, but you can also arrive by bus or train. Neither me or my partner drove during our time in NZ, so we were reliant on public transport. We used InterCity to get around and I think this is a great option. We never had any problems with the buses and some of the scenery you can enjoy on the journey is superb.
Another tip I would offer for visiting Kaikoura would be to book things well in advance to avoid missing out. Especially highlight the tours, such as the whale watching tour. We booked our tour three months in advance. Speaking of whale watching, if you decide to travel to Kaikoura in the winter like me, everything is a lot cheaper and more affordable. We got our whale watching tour at half the price they are at any other time of year!