Your Eat, Play, Stay Guide To Kaikōura In 2025
Where mountains meet the sea, Kaikōura delivers pure New Zealand magic. A coastal town bursting with wild beauty and laidback charm, it’s the kind of place that makes you want to slow down and soak it all in.
Spend your days cruising scenic coastal roads, spotting whales and seals and your nights stargazing beneath some of the country’s clearest skies. Whether you’re here for a weekend escape or an all-out South Island roadie, Kaikōura is where every journey feels like an adventure.
How To Get To Kaikōura
Kaikōura offers travelers the chance to soak up the best of the South Island’s wild beauty, with an easy 2.5-hour drive north from Christchurch. The route winds through rolling vineyards, rugged coastline, and those stop-every-five-minutes views that make road trips unforgettable.
Hiring a car through Booking.com makes it easy to do it your way, with flexible options, transparent pricing, and trusted providers, so you can spend less time planning and more time hitting the open road. Cruise the scenic inland route, detour through Waipara for a winery lunch (our pick: Mt Beautiful), or pull over to watch seals lounging by the shore.
Where To Stay In Kaikōura
Cubby House
Image Credit: Rachel Duignan | Urban List
There truly is no bad option when it comes to accommodation in Kaikōura. No matter what, if you’re craving a coastal escape that feels both luxurious and laidback, Kaikōura delivers in spades. Perched on its own little hill is Cubby House, an offbeat, design-led hideout, a dreamy, design-led stay that’s all timber warmth, ocean air, and serious main-character energy. Leanne and Richard offer a one-of-a-kind stay in Kaikōura, going above and beyond for every guest, no matter if you’re chasing a romantic escape or a weekend with mates.
Te Mahuru Retreat
Image Credit: Te Mahuru Retreat | Booking.com
Nestled on two peaceful acres just outside town, Te Mahuru Retreat feels like your own slice of Kaikōura countryside, yet still only minutes from the coastline. With comfortable rooms facing mountain views, a hot-tub under the stars and the ocean just a short drive away, it’s the kind of place where you arrive ready to unwind and wake up wondering why you don’t stay longer.
Glencree Luxury Chalets
Image Credit: Glencree Luxury Chalets | Booking.com
Tucked away in tranquil bush just minutes from the coast, Glencree Luxury Chalets offer an indulgent hideaway where the mountains meet the sea. Each handcrafted chalet features soaring timber interiors, a private spa pool and glass-fronted decks letting you soak in the forest and ocean views in complete seclusion. Perfect for a blissful romantic escape or a luxe solo retreat, it’s Kaikōura on your terms, with comfort, style and nature all in one unforgettable stay.
What To Do In Kaikōura
EcoZip Adventures Kaikōura
Image Credit: Rachel Duignan | Urban List
Have a need for speed? Head to EcoZip Adventure Kaikōura for a wild 3.5-hour thrill ride through native forest and farmland at Rakanui Station. Getting to experience 5 dual ziplines that cover more than 2.2 km of sky-high fun with views of the sea, mountains, and farmland all at once. We even spotted breaching humpback whales in the bay soaring down a line. Between your zips, you’ll learn about local conservation, share a laugh with expert guides, and finish feeling like you flew a little. This is one for the bucket list.
Whale Watching Kaikoura
Image Credit: Whale Watch Kaikōura | Booking.com
As you see the unmistakable spout of water rise from the deep, you know you’re in for something special. Join Whale Watch Kaikōura, a proudly Kiwi-owned and operated tour run by Ngāti Kuri, the tangata whenua of the region, and experience the ocean through their eyes, where every sighting carries centuries of connection to land and sea. All that’s left to do? Bring your camera, wrap up warm, and prepare for some serious ocean magic.
Moana Skies
Image Credit: Moana Skies | Instagram
According to Booking.com’s annual Travel Predictions 2025, Noctourism is one of 2025’s most exciting travel trends, and there is no better place than Kaikoura to experience this. In 2024, the region was officially designated an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, making it only the third location in New Zealand.
Forget the crowds, it’s all about midnight magic, where silence, sky, and stars collide. Moana Skies is your invitation to see Aotearoa in a whole new light (or lack thereof). Think: lying beneath a blanket of stars, joining guided night walks through nature’s quiet and witnessing cosmic moments that remind you just how vast and beautiful the universe really is.
Where To Eat In Kaikōura
Nins Basket
Image Credit: Nins Basket | NZ Traveller
Perched on State Highway 1, just north of Kaikōura, Nin’s Bin has been serving up fresh-caught crayfish and sea-to-table magic since 1977. What started with a roadside caravan has become a true Kiwi institution, still family-run, still simple and still unbeatable.
Feast on the freshest crayfish, sustainably caught. It truly is the kind of place where time slips away as the ocean sparkles a few meters away and every bite tastes like New Zealand at its best.
The Whaler
Is there anything better than the local pub, the kind where the staff know your name, your order’s ready before you ask and everyone’s a mate by the end of the night? The Whaler on the main street is exactly that. With cold pints, hearty pub fare, and a cozy buzz that pulls you in from the street, it’s comfort in its truest form, the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after last call.
Strawberry Tree
No town’s complete without an Irish pub, and Kaikōura’s Strawberry Tree absolutely delivers. From fish caught daily by the owner himself to perfectly poured pints of Guinness, roaring open fires, and live local music, this eclectic spot is pure character. It’s the kind of place you wander into for 'just one' and end up staying all night, swapping stories with locals and soaking up the laidback charm that makes Kaikōura feel like home.
Our weekend in Kaikoura was nothing less than magical, and we urge you to consider it for your next weekend away; it has a bit of everything for everyone. From ocean-view stays and coastal cottages to car rentals, flights, and local adventures, Booking.com makes exploring Kaikōura effortless.
With the Genius loyalty program, travelers can unlock lifetime discounts, perks, and rewards across hundreds of thousands of stays and rides worldwide. So whether you’re road-tripping the South Island or stargazing by the sea, Booking.com makes every Kaikōura escape smoother, smarter, and better value from the moment you book.
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Main image creditl: Rachel Duignan | Urban List
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