Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway

Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway

Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway
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  • Stephen & Sue
    Canberra, Australia2,652 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Do the short walk from the end of the road.
    This is a fabulous walk, provided you skip most of it. If you do the full loop from town, most of the walk is a concrete footpath, or boardwalk, alongside the road, with nothing to see apart from the ocean (which is lovely, but doesn’t change until the very end of the road). The best way to do this is drive to the very end of the road, park in the car park, walk along the rocks below the cliff until Whalers Bay, then follow the path and steps up to the headland and access the proper walk all the way back to the car park. This will take you a couple of hours at most, and bring you right up close to the seals, and then give you the wonderful views all the way back. (Or vice versa, cliff then reef is fine). Stop off at the crayfish van on the way there or back for lunch, and you’ve done the best of Kaikōura without the 2 hour slog along the road.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written December 24, 2023
  • Rebecca
    Adelaide, Australia2,215 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    This was very underrated which meant it wasn’t crowded yay
    The loop walk (about 12km or so) has a bit of everything. If you start at the carpark on either side you have a choice of going up to land and walking along the top, then returning along the rocks- or the other way around. On the top you get views of the ocean while walking through farmland and scrub, alongside cows and everything. Some of it is boardwalk along trees. The bottom is amazing, seals everywhere and lots of things to climb.
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written January 17, 2024
  • HahnTravels
    Liverpool, Australia1,290 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great Walks and Views
    Walked it a couple of times, sunrise is amazing! 5 minutes walk to the top from the carpark and then easy going from there. Great views over to the other side of the peninsula, saw both dolphins and seals. Then headed down and walked around the base - great as well. Uncrowded - can walk right from town if you like. Enjoyed it immensely so went 3 or 4 times!
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written March 2, 2024
  • wc9828
    114 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Dramatic and wonderful walk
    An oceanscape on a par with the world's most famous coasts. We parked at the lot at the end of the road, took the steep path up to the near headland, then walked "up top" to nearly South Bay. We descended to the shoreline on one of several connecting paths and made our way back. These paths down the cliffside enable one to make the hike long or short. Just before arriving back at the car park we stood with others and watched a number of seals sunning themselves on the rocks.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written March 7, 2024
  • Katherine T
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Walkway directions & map
    I would highly recommend doing at least part of this walk while visiting Kaikoura. The full loop that we did (starting and ending in the town center of Kaikoura) easily takes about 5-6 hours. There are multiple tracks--one along the top of the cliffs and the other down along the shoreline. We started along the lower shoreline track from the car park at the end of Fyffe Quay (Point McKean), which had amazing view of seals (literally hundreds) at about 10 minutes into the walk. After continuing on the shoreline track for about an hour (and continuing to see more seals and sea birds), the track ran out (or was washed out), so we had to double back and climb up the connecting track to the cliff track at Whaler's Bay Lookout. We then continued along the cliff track for the rest of the loop to the South Bay Reserve car park. There is a pedestrian walkway (Tom's Track) that connects from South Bay Pde back to the town center. We enjoyed the whole walk, but the most scenic parts are close to the car parks on both ends. If you have a car and are interested in doing a shorter version, I would consider driving and parking at the Fyffe Quay car park to explore the lower shoreline track and seal colony near Point McKean. Then, I would drive over to the South Bay Reserve car park and walk up to the cliff track to explore some of the views there. If you are an avid trekker, I would say to go for the full loop!
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written April 1, 2024
  • Boshy
    Richmond, New Zealand55 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A must do in Kaikoura, with beautiful views and fury seals.
    This is a wonderful walk in Kaikoura. The full loop is about 12 km but you can do a shorter version of desired. On the way there are many look out points for you to enjoy the beautiful picturesque landscape and ocean. There are also a lot of seals along the coastal section. You can also hear them bark. You can either walk along the top of the cliff or along the shoreline. I highly recommend doing both if you have time. All in all this is one of the best and most accessible day walks in NZ.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written June 17, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles1,185 reviews
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237
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GaryandLesleyTravel
Auckland Central, New Zealand7,718 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2020 • Couples
The walk starts at the southern end of town, we followed advice we had received and walked around the coast where we encountered the unusual limestone rockscapes, NZ Fur Seals and bird life. The changing shape of the coastline and the colours of the beautifully clear waters are magnificent. After ~ 40 mins walk we arrived at the stairs at Whalers bay so headed up and returned to the carpark via the cliff top path which gave us an even deeper appreciation of the beauty of this coast. The bays and water colour variations from on high are stunning. The loop had taken us a leisurely 80 mins stopping often fir photos. On you way back to town stop at the 1885 Pier Hotel for a drink.
Written November 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Gloria T
Christchurch, New Zealand7 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022
We walked along the coast - encountering many seals -for the most part, we were able to keep our distance. Recommend doing this walk at low tide though as it quite hard to clamber over rocks to avoid the tide in some areas. It rained on the walk back over the peninsula, still was very sound underfoot. Well maintained
Written February 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Steve W
Nelson, New Zealand935 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2020 • Couples
This is a beautiful loop walk taking in the seals and the peninsula clifftop and the views are great. We rushed around in two hours as it was getting dark but allow a bit longer for full appreciation of the views. The southern entrance has a beautifully decorated Maori gateway.
Written May 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

B.Sim
Singapore, Singapore81 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Couples
Highly recommended free activity.
There were so many seals and it was a joy to watch them playing/fighting/lazing in the sun

The Seal pups were the cutest creatures and it was funny to watch them disturbing their moms and trying to walk up the rocks.

Bring your camera and observe respect for these wild animals
Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tim K
110 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
You can walk along the cliffs as the ocean meets the rocks both next tot he water and above on the cliff. If the tide is low, the lower walk is very nice and lets you see the various formations up close, and sometimes birds and seals up close. the upper walk has steps, quite a few, but once up here is pretty level and offers great views in all directions. We saw more than 50 seals come up on the rocks and then go back in and out in the afternoon. This must be the top thing to do, and it is free. There are of course various excursions to sign up for , but this is nature at your own pace.
Written April 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

g m
Bristol, UK184 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
This is a really good walk offering close encounters with seals (although don't get too close).

It took us a lot longer than anticipated due to walking a long way out and around the rocks at low tide to see the seals.

A couple of other interesting points are the whale graveyard quite close to the start of the walk and a shearwater sanctuary about two thirds of the way around.
Written January 14, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MoleNZ
Blenheim, New Zealand88 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020
For the best views in town, walk East along the waterfront from the town, past the new pier, the old pier and historic Fyffe house whalers cottage . Stop for some fresh seafood at Jimmy Archers beach at the Seafood caravan on the beach then continue along to the seal colony , which is the end of the road. From there you can walk over the top of the peninsular to South Bay and back over, dropping down into Kaikoura town . The complete round trip takes about 2 and 1/2 half hours and is approximately 12 kms although you can just do parts of it as you wish. The views from the top of the peninsular above the seal colony or the South Bay are spectacular , out to sea on one side and the snowy mountain tops on the other. it is truly a 360 degree panorama. The track is fairly easy for most people and is well marked. children need to be kept away from the cliff edges and no dogs are allowed because of the wildlife.
Written June 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marylou
Kallaroo, Australia43 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2023 • Solo
Worth every step and taking the time to take in the views. As I'd visited the seal colony separately the day before, I took the 'upper' route all the way from South Bay to the heart of town. It's a bit much to make it a return trip so I embarked on the hike after the Dolphin Encounter experience (the boat for which goes from South Bay with transport provided from their office in town to South Bay). It took me a good 3 hours with stops along the way for photos and to just soak it all in. This is really not to be missed.
Written June 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

The Two Scientists
13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
The whole loop took us between 4 - 5 hours although you can just walk part of the route and park up midway. Most of the walk is flat although there are a couple of steep climbs. Part way along you can visit the Oahu Point Seal Colony plus there’s the the Point Sheep Shearing Show. The views on the cliff tops are stunning and you can sea seals along the various bays. Look out for the Seafood BBQ, a great place to stop for a tasty treat!
Written March 7, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Colliedog58
Hartley, UK375 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
A very well sign posted walk. You can just amble along the track for a short way or take the time to complete the walk which is well worth it. It is quite a challenge but when you drop down onto the beach and view the seals you will be glad that you did it.
Written March 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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