Kaikōura

Kaikōura (; Māori pronunciation:) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on State Highway 1, 180 kilometres (110 mi) north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of 2,350 as of June 2025. Kaikōura is the seat of the territorial authority of the Kaikōura District, which is part of the Canterbury region. In 2023, Kaikōura was named as one of the "most beautiful small towns in the world".

Kaikōura was first inhabited by the Māori, with the Ngāi Tahu iwi occupying the area since at least 1670. Europeans began to settle in Kaikōura in the mid-1840s. By the 1850s, land that had been acquired was sold to European settlers, who most often started sheep farms in the area. Mount Fyffe in the Seaward Kaikōura Range is named in honour of Robert Fyffe and his family, the first European settlers in the area.

The present town owes its origin to the richness of marine life in the ocean, since it developed as a centre for the whaling industry. The name Kaikōura means 'meal of crayfish' (kai – food/meal, kōura – crayfish) and the crayfish industry still plays a role in the economy of the region. Kaikōura is known for its biodiversity – a wide variety of marine mammals can be seen in the sea, including seals, whales and dolphins. It has also been described as "one of the best places in the world to see seabirds", with an exceptional diversity of albatross species. The town has now become a popular tourist destination, mainly for whale watching and swimming with dolphins. Kaikōura receives around 1 million visitors a year. Major ecotourism operators based in the town include Whale Watch Kaikōura and Encounter Kaikōura.

The infrastructure of Kaikōura was heavily damaged in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, with one of the two earthquake fatalities happening near the town. The bay and surrounding region were uplifted by as much as 2 metres (6 ft 7 in).