KAIKOURA
Kaikoura is a great place to both
visit and stay over. Kaikoura is still a small town, but from a
tourist perspective the community has tapped into the ‘whale watching’
bonanza. The town lives and breathes the business whale watching
generates. Whale watching was the trigger that breathed excitement
back into this historically ‘crayfish’ led country town.
The Sperm Whale watching is recognised as the best and
most developed in the world and swimming with or near dolphins. There
is also a large and readily observed colony of Southern Fur Seals at
the eastern edge of the town. At low tide, better viewing of the seals
can be had as the ocean gives way to a rocky base which is easily
navigable by foot for quite some distance.
Whale Watching is very much subject to
the weather being favourable, and to Kaikoura’s credit plenty of other
interesting activities have stepped into the tourism gap that is
created if land bound.
Unfortunately we are unable to report
on the Whale Watch cruise. A southerly was with us and for our two
days the Whale Watch cruise was cancelled.
Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the
Green Globe tourism certification standard.
Kaikoura a strikingly beautiful setting, as the
Seaward Kaikoura mountains, a branch of the Southern Alps come nearly
to the sea at this point on the coast, but are prone to trap the bad
weather.
This Mural on the northern edge of town captures the
soul and future destiny of the town.
The museum gives great insight into the paradox of a
bygone era. There is also info on the 1993 flood that ravaged the
town.  
The Kaikoura War Memorial is on the southern edge of
town.
The Anglican Church
  is
just 100 years old and the Methodist Church
has a high profile in the town.
There are the traditional period hotels and Donnegal
House still doing business in Kaikoura.   
A great town and allow two days.
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