Kaikōura

Kaikōura (/kaɪˈkɔːrə/; Māori pronunciation: [kaiˈkoːuɾa] ^ⓘ) 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 2,380 as of June 2024. Kaikōura is the seat of the territorial authority of the Kaikōura District, which is part of the Canterbury region.

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 infrastructure of Kaikōura was heavily damaged in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake, with one of the two deaths near the town. The bay and surrounding region were uplifted by as much as 2 metres (6 ft 7 in). In 2023, Kaikōura was named as one of the "most beautiful small towns in the world". Kaikōura is known for its biodiversity, a wide variety of marine mammals can be seen in the sea, including whales and dolphins.