I had always thought that Kaikoura was a place to pass through whilst travelling from Blenheim to Christchurch rather than a destination. How wrong was I ?

We flew to Christchurch, picked up a rental car and headed to Kaikoura for 3 nights stopping at Waipara Springs Winery for lunch.

We stayed the Waves Luxury Apartments which was very central and it was an easy walk into the main township. Dinners at the Pier Hotel and Zephyr restaurant were very good and if you like crayfish then you are in the right place.

We hired e-bikes from Coastal Sports Kaikoura and headed out on the Kaikoura cycling trail . Approx. 40 something kms and a variety of roads and bush trails. This was a lot of fun.

The highlight was the Kaikoura whale watching tour . Not only did we see one but two whales and plenty of dolphins that seemed to follow the boat which was a real treat.

We visited the Kaikoura Museum, breakfast at Slam club , fish and chips from Coopers catch and coffee from various places – all were very good .

I loved our time in Kaikoura and would recommend spending a few days there.