Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway — Attraction in Kaikōura

This is a fabulous walk, provided you skip most of it. Much of the full circuit 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...

This is rightly ranked very highly amongst things to do in Kaikoura, and I regret that we didn't spend much more time doing more of the walk around the peninsula. I would think it is truly worth a full day of your time if you enjoy walking, natural unspoilt coastal scenery, wildlife, and peace and quiet. It is one of my regrets of our month-long NZ journey that I only planned an hour or two here rambling around the rocks near the Point Kean viewpoint and car park. It may be one of the most accessible natural, undeveloped and wildlife-abundant stretches of coast in the country. Learn from my mistake if this type of thing appeals to you and include lots of time for it when visiting Kaikoura -- I'm sure you...

Amazing walking track along either the coast or up on top of the cliffs. Up on the cliffs gives you great views out to sea and down over the seal colony with many different points where you can decide to walk down to the coastline.

The coastline walk will get you close to the seal colony, you'll see people getting way too close to the seals and bothering them, please don't be them and enjoy them from a distance. The walk can go a long way around the peninsula and be a one way walk if someone is able to pick you up from the other end otherwise loop back on yourself.

Fairly flat walk with some largish stones to traverse over at certain points...