Kaikoura

Getting Here and Around

State Highway 1 runs right through Kaikoura, so the town is on the main road between Picton and Christchurch and the coastal route between Nelson and Christchurch. It's an easy 2½-hour drive south from Kaikoura to Christchurch and 1¾ hours north to Blenheim.

InterCity runs buses between Christchurch, Kaikoura and Nelson a couple of times a day. In Kaikoura, southbound buses stop at the parking lot by the Craypot restaurant, northbound buses at the Sleepy Whale. Aside from tour buses, the only reliable local alternatives are Atomic Shuttles and Southern Link K Bus.

The TranzCoastal train follows the coast from Christchurch to Picton, meeting with the Interislander ferry at midday. It stops at Kaikoura both ways.