The little town of Kaikoura lies on the northeast coast of the South Island at the foot of the Seaward Kaikoura Range (2600m), just north of the rocky Kaikoura Peninsula, which is famed for its seal colony.
The Maori name Kaikoura (eating crayfish) is a reference to the rich crayfish fishing grounds that were much prized by the Maoris. In the 1
9th C. whaling also made a major contribution to the economy of the town. There are still a few relics of the old whaling stations in the form of whalebones (e.g. in the Garden of Memories).
On the rocks at the end of Kaikoura Island is a colony of several hundred seals with some yellow-eyed penguins. They do not appear to have any fear of humans. A trip on a boat will yield sightings, from an appropriate distance, of not just seals but also of black and Hector's dolphins, sperm whales, and albatrosses with wingspans of over 3m.