New Zealand is unique in many ways. One of those being that most companies have an office wide shut down between Christmas and New Years. Forced to take vacation, with 4 public holidays during that time, my partner and I decided to take a road trip around the South Island. Since it is summer, it is a great way to see more of the country and take advantage of a forced ‘summer break’ from work.
The first stop on our South Island tour was Kaikoura. 2 and a half to 3 hours North of Christchurch is the recovering town. In 2016 there was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake at midnight that isolated the town for close to 2 years due to major road closures.
Kaikoura is still recovering because of the earthquake and I did not realize the impact until we arrived. It was somewhat of a ghost town in terms of hotels being shut down and many restaurants closed. Apartment complexes were left as they were, with furniture still inside, but the outsides were run down and very dirty with lots of overgrown plants.
Despite the feel upon arrival, I was super impressed with our hotel. It had off street parking, was walking distance to downtown and the decor was second to none. With Marimekko wallpaper, pillows and comforter, I felt right at home!
Kaikoura Boutique Hotel 
One reason we chose Kaikoura on our road trip is because it is known for whale watching. We booked our whale watch tour about a month in advance, as we wanted a certain time slot. Depending on when you visit, there can be between 4 to 11 tours a day. With a 98% success sight rate and a 80% refund if you don’t see a whale, this tour is $160 NZD per person and worth every penny.
You get 2 hours on the water and a very informative guide with slideshows before and during the boat ride. You are allowed on the decks once the captain gives the go ahead, and then you wait patiently.
We were lucky enough to see several forms of sea-life on our tour. Sperm whales are known in this region, but we saw a humpback which is very rare. We also saw the endangered Hector’s dolphins. On top of that there was a sea lion colony and a large school of fish!
During our tour we learned that Kaikoura is known for another thing: eating crayfish. ‘Kai’ means eat and ‘koura’ means crayfish in Maori. Once we got back to land Mark and I then proceeded to find some fresh crayfish, but all the open restaurants were booked up with Christmas families and all the fish shops were sold out. For this reason, I will make it back to Kaikoura.
Kaikoura was a perfect way to start our trip. It was relaxing and seeing whales & other sea wildlife was special. Downtown still had lots of shops open, including our favorite ‘Kaikoura Cheese Shop.”
Tip: Other than booking a reservation beforehand to get some crayfish, prepare yourself for a bumpy ride on the Whale Watch ferry.
Have you visited a recovering city or town? What was your experience?