Whale watching is big business in Kaikoura and you have the option of either taking a whale watching cruise or spotting them from a plane or helicopter.
Sperm and humpback whales can be seen during June and July, but orcas are more prevalent during summer.
Whale watching cruises
Whale Watch Kaikoura have been running whale watching tours since 1990. The whale watching cruises give you around 2½ hours on the water and you also have the opportunity to see dolphins, seals and albatross.
Cruises cost $150 and they offer an 80% discount if you do not see a whale.
Whale watching flights
Scenic flights allow you to see whales and other marine life from the air. There are several Kaikoura-based companies that offer scenic whale-watching flights by both helicopter and fixed-wing plane.
Air Kaikoura and Wings over Whales operate fixed-wing aircraft departing from Kaikoura Airport, 8km south of the town centre. Whale watching flights take 30-minutes and cost $165 with Air Kaikoura and $180 with Wings over Whales.
Kaikoura Helicopters and South Pacific Helicopters operate helicopter flights from Kaikoura. Kaikoura Helicopters run 30-minute flights for $220, 40-minute flights for $265, 50-minute flights for $295 and 60-minute flights (which also take you over the nearby mountain range with a snow landing on Mount Fyffe) for $330. Prices are higher if there are only a couple of passengers on board. South Pacific Helicopters run 30-minute flights for $350, 50-minute flights for $550 and one-hour flights for $650.
This Whanganui Regional Museum is a regional museum that is home to an extensive collection of exhibits with a focus on Māori culture, local and natural history. It is noted for its collection of Lindauer portraits and Māori taonga.
The longest navigable river in New Zealand is the site of an outstanding canoe trip through the wilderness of the Whanganui National Park. Although it is a canoe trip, DOC classifies the Whanganui River Journey (145km; 3–5 days) as one of New Zealand’s Great Walks – it’s the walk you do sitting down.
The River Journey offers a lot more experiences than your regular hiking trail. You get to sit down and paddle down-river for five days (although there is a shorter three-day alternative), during this time you pass 249 named rapids (mostly grades one and two), paddle under the famous Bridge to Nowhere and you have the chance to experience Māori culture at the Tieke Kāinga marae.
Because it is a canoe trip it requires a bit more organisation than your average hike. You have the option of taking a guided canoe trip or hiring the canoes and finding your own way down river. You can hire either a kayak or Canadian canoe; many people prefer the open canoes, as they are more convenient for carrying camping gear.
If you’re making the journey in the Great Walks season (Oct–Apr), huts cost $32 per night and camping is $20 per night; outside the Great Walks season huts cost $15 per night and campsites are free (except for Ohinepane and Whakahoro campsites, which cost $10 per night). A cheaper option, particularly if you’re doing several walks, is the Backcountry Hut Pass which costs $92 for six months or $122 for 12 months. You can buy hut tickets and the Backcountry Hut Pass from DOC Visitor Centres.
The Journey
The River Journey starts at Cherry Grove near Taumaruni and finishes at Pipiriki, 68km north of Wanganui, and usually takes five days. There are only three huts along the route so you’ll need to bring along a tent to camp the first night. The following description of the River Journey is broken into the four sections between the huts, however the first section is rather long and most people break it into two (making it a five day journey). The Guide to the Whanganui River, available from DOC offices, describes the journey in more detail.
Cherry Grove to Whakahoro Hut (57km)
Most of the rapids occur in the first part of the journey between Cherry Grove and Whakahoro Hut (57km), which most people take two days to complete.
There are three camping options on this stretch of the journey, these are Ohinepane, Poukaria and Maharanui – most people camp at either Ohinepane or Poukaria.
During the second day you’ll pass the Niu Poles, where warriors would worship before battle.
Whakahoro Hut to John Coull Hut (37.5km)
During second part of the journey the river becomes a little calmer as you pass prominent cliffs. There is a small cave with glow worms located across the river from the Ohauora campsite, about two thirds of the way to John Coull Hut.
John Coull Hut to Tieke Kāinga (29km)
At Mangapurua, 19km from John Coull Hut, you can make a short detour up the Mangapurua Stream to the famous Bridge to Nowhere. This concrete bridge would otherwise be fairly ordinary if it wasn’t sitting in the middle of the wilderness. It was built shortly after World War I as an access route to new farming areas that were being developed at the time, however the project failed and the bridge now is just a rather surreal part of the Mangapurua Track.
Tieke Kāinga is the highlight of this section of the journey. Tieke was originally an old pā (fortified village), which has been revived as a marae (Māori meeting place). It is a unique opportunity to experience Māori culture as you get to participate in a powhiri (welcome ceremony). You will be met at the riverbank and the protocol of the powhiri will be explained to you before you enter the marae. It is customary to present a koha (gift) during the powhiri, this may be anything such as food or money.
Tieke Kainga to Pipiriki (21.5km)
The final leg of the journey has some of the biggest rapids and the wilderness gives way to farmland as you approach Pipiriki.
Gear Rental & Guided Trips
There are several companies that offer kayak and canoe rental; some of these companies also operate guided trips. These companies provide transport to and from the river. They include Yeti Tours.
Located 6km north of the city centre, the 26.3m Whangarei Falls are one of New Zealand’s most photogenic waterfalls.
There are several walking trails in the park including the Whangarei Falls Loop (1km; 30 minutes), which crosses the river above the waterfall on a metal bridge and continues to the picnic area at the base of the falls.
Ultimate Descents operate white water rafting trips among the granite canyons of the Buller Gorge. The four-hour trip on the Buller River features grade 3–4 rapids.
Rafting trips depart from Ultimate Descents base in Murchison, across the road from the Lazy Cow hostel.
Several companies offer whitewater rafting trips around Rotorua with the Kaituna, Rangitaiki and Wairoa Rivers being the most popular. The Rangitaki boasts grade four rapids and is perhaps the most scenic option, but the Wairoa and especially the Kaituna River offers grade five rapids with more excitement. The Kaituna River features the legendary Tutea Falls with its massive seven-metre drop, which is claimed to be the world’s highest commercially rafted waterfall.
Rafting trips cost $85–109 on the Kaituna River, $110–140 on the Rangitaiki River and $115–137.50 on the Wairoa River.
White water rafting on the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers is comparatively good value since a rafting trip takes between a half-day and a full day for not much more than the cost of a 30-minute jet boat ride or three-minute bungee jump.
Both the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers offer grade three to five rapids, but most people find the rafting more exciting on the Shotover, which features the 170m-long Oxenbridge Tunnel. However the 400m-long Chinese Dog Leg rapid on the Kawarau is also one of New Zealand’s best white water rides.
During winter (Jun-Sep) rafting companies are only permitted to raft for one hour, which means that they have to begin at Boulder Rapid (only accessible by helicopter), making rafting a more expensive exercise.
Rafting trips depart from The Station travel booking centre on the corner of Camp and Shotover Streets.
Tongariro River Rafting operate rafting trips on the Tongariro River. The river has over 50 grade 3+ rapids that make a fun day of rafting although there are wilder rivers elsewhere in New Zealand.
Allow four hours for the trip with 2–2½ hours on the water.
Whitewater sledging, or hydrospeed, involves riding a custom-designed river sledge through rapids. Hydrospeed puts you in control, as opposed to rafting where the guide does the steering.
Sledging is a more extreme activity compared with whitewater rafting, which means that sledgers need to be strong swimmers.
Kaitiaki Adventures and Raftabout run whitewater sledging (hydrospeed) trips on the Kaituna River. A 3½ hour trip on the Kaituna River costs $120–129.
InterCity coaches connect Whitianga with Thames, where there are connecting services to Auckland and Tauranga and Go Kiwi Shuttles have minibuses to Auckland and destinations on the Coromandel Peninsula.
Willowbank Wildlife Reserve has lots of animals that you can hand feed with a focus on native bird life and it is best known for its excellent kiwi tours. Unlike other kiwi houses that have glassed-in enclosures, Willowbank allows you to see the kiwi without any glass for a more natural look at this unique and rare bird.
The World of WearableArt and Classic Cars Museum complex near the airport combines art, fashion and a classic car museum.
It is one of Nelson’s top visitor attractions which comes as a surprise considering that it is expensive, a long way from the city centre and it combines two very different themes: cars and fashion.
Zealandia Ecosanctuary, formerly known as the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, is a wildlife sanctuary in suburban Wellington that is surrounded by an impressive 8.6km-long predator-proof fence. The 225ha (556 acre) sanctuary is a haven for native New Zealand wildlife, particularly birdlife with 40 different recorded species including the hihi (stitchbird), kaka, kererū (New Zealand pigeon), little spotted kiwi, morepork, tīeke (saddleback) and the tui, as well as reptiles including the tuatara and the Wellington green gecko.
General admission is valid for two days and lets you explore the 35km of scenic walking tracks at your own leisure. The Zealandia by Day and Zealandia by Night tours include the standard general admission in addition to a tour by an experienced guide who can point out the best of the sanctuary’s unique wildlife.
Zealandia by Day
This is a two-hour tour that gives you the opportunity to see wildlife that is active during daylight. During this tour you may see tuatara and weta as well as the following native bird species: hihi (stitchbird), kaka, kākāriki, kererū (New Zealand pigeon), takahē, tīeke (saddleback) and whitehead.
This 2½-hour tour departs at dusk, after the sanctuary has closed to the general public, giving you the opportunity to see native wildlife that is more active at night. During this tour you can see glow-worms, Maud Island frog, New Zealand longfin eel, tuatara and weta as well as the following native bird species: brown teal, little spotted kiwi, kaka, morepork and takahē.
The highlight of this tour is the unique opportunity to see the most famous of New Zealand’s noctural birdlife, the kiwi. Although spotting a kiwi is not guaranteed, with 130 little spotted kiwi living in the park your chances are pretty high (around 80%). That makes this possibly the best place outside Stewart Island to see a kiwi in its native habitat.
While the daytime tours offer the best photo opportunities, it is the night tour that really lets you see some of the country’s unique birdlife like the little spotted kiwi and the morepork.
Zorbing is a unique activity that was invented in Rotorua. It involves rolling down a hill inside a big inflatable ball.
You have a choice of tracks, depending on whether you want to zig-zag or go down the hill fast and steep. There is also the option of a wet zorb ride, where a bucket of water is tossed into the zorb before you roll down the hill.
