Kaikoura District

The Kaikoura District is a sparsely-populated area in the northern half of the South Island's east coast. Its town of the same name is world-famous for whale-watching tours organised by the local iwi.

2016 earthquakes
The district bore the brunt of the series of earthquakes that began just after midnight on 14 November 2016 with a 7.5-magnitude shake centred near Hanmer Springs in North Canterbury. One resident died, in the collapse of a historic house. The area's road links were cut off for several days, as were water and electricity, and the road linking to Marlborough in the north was predicted to be unusable for months because of over 200 slips.