Worth getting out of bed for...

Viewpoint

Take advantage of this pristine rendezvous and look up, up, up at night – sights like this are a pipe dream from light-polluted city locations. Stargaze for an hour and a half with Kaikoura Night Sky Tour (www.kaikouranightsky.co.nz; NZ$50 a person/$40 under-15s). A guide will point out the constellations and let you eyeball Saturn, Jupiter and Mars through a powerful telescope.

Arts and culture

Trace the area’s rich history of Maori culture, European settlers and the whaling industry through the Kaikoura District Museum & Archives at 14 Ludstone Road (03 319 7440). A wing built on whale bones at Fyffe House, the town’s oldest building, is an insight into its past (www.fyffehouse.co.nz). A dozen or so craft stores and galleries add allure to the Art Trail – get a guide from the visitor centre on West End (www.kaikoura.co.nz).

Something for nothing

Bring your own snorkelling gear, and check out the marine life along this gorgeous rocky coastline for free. Dolphins, seals, sea birds and even whales may rear their heads, even if you haven’t shelled out for a group tour.

Shopping

With arts and crafts one of the headline acts here, unique, local souvenirs are plentiful. Try Southern Paua & Pacific Jewels (2 Beach Road) for pretty things to garnish you and yours. For those with a food-focused mind, local produce is also worth a look-in: head to 33 Beach Road and scoop up some of Hislops Café’s organic honey (03 319 6971).

Daytripper

Get connected with the indigenous culture and hear about customs, spiritual beliefs and ancestral stories with Maori Tours’ twice-daily 3.5-hour excursions. Adults, NZ$125; children, NZ$65 (www.maoritours.co.nz).

Best beach

For renowned surfing, try Kahutara (19 kilometres south of Kaikoura) and Mangamaunu beaches (15 kilometres north of town), as well as the Meatworks just over the railway line at Hapuku. Contact Board Silly Surf Adventures in Kaikoura for classes or hire (03 319 6464). There’s also a safe swimming beach in town opposite the Esplanade.

Perfect picnic

Roadside caravan Nin’s Bin, a 20-minute drive north towards Picton on SH1 (near Rakautara), is a local favourite, serving up crayfish, lobster and green-lipped mussels steamed in white wine, with sumptuous sea views. Eat them while ogling the ocean.

Walks

Really gorge on local beauty by tackling the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, which loops from the Esplanade in town to Point Kean, and then winds around the cliffs and shoreline to South Bay. The 12-kilometre trail takes about three hours, and you’ll pass fishermen, seals, red-billed seagulls and historic Maori pa sites along the way (www.doc.govt.nz).

Children

If llamas, wallabies and goats appeal, Kaikoura Farm Park has critters galore for kids to play with (03 319 5033). Saddle up at Fyffe View Ranch, for family-friendly horse treks through bush trails (www.kaikourahorsetrekking.co.nz).

Activities

Whale watching is a must here, as the area’s striking above-ground landscape – mountains plunging into the sea – is repeated underwater, with a deep canyon and unusual currents attracting marine life. Whale Watch (NZ$145 an adult; NZ$60 a child, aged 3–15; www.whalewatch.co.nz) offers daily tours with regular year-round sightings of giant sperm whales, as well as migrating humpback, pilot, blue and southern right whales, depending on the season.

And

Get closer to the jaw-dropping mountains that frame Kaikoura’s coastline with some skiing at Mount Lyford Alpine Resort. Slopes are generally open from June to October, depending on snow conditions, and there’s transport available from Kaikoura.